THE  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

OF  FONTHILL 


THK  MEMOIK8  OF  TlIK  DtClIKSBK  DE  DING 

(ArTKMVABUt    Dl-IIICUB   DE  TaLLETKAND  ST 

DEBaGaH).  KdKrd.wlih  NoU'«  and  ft  Hlofp-aphlral 
lodex,  bjr  riiii«irE»iir.  Kahziwii.i,  (tj/c  Cahtel- 
LaJTE'.     VmIo.  I.  II.     n.iny    Hvn,  ]irlr<-  ]0h. 

mch. 

A  r.AWO.N  KOYAM8T  IN  KKVoLl  TIONAHY 
I'AUIH.  179J-1796.  Hjr  G.  Lenotre,  Author  of 
"  KomAnop*  cvf  ilic  Kn-nrh  Uevolution,"  i-lc.  In 
onr  vohitne,    I>cmy  8vo,  price  16k.  nel. 

THK  MKMOIKS  HEIMUCH  HEINE.  In  two 
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A  COTSWOLD  FAMILY.  Ily  MfB.  William 
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London  :  William  Heinemann,  21  Bedford  St.  W.C. 


THE  LIFE  AND  LETTERS  OF 

WILLIAM  BEOKFORD 

OF  FONTHIEL 

(AUTHOR  OF    VATHEK  ") 
BY 

LEWIS  MELVILLE 


ILLUSTRATED 


LONDON 

WILLIAM  HEINEMANN 

1910 


TO 

THE  DUKE  OF  HAMILTON 

WITHOUT  WHOSE  GENEROUS 
COURTESY  THIS  BOOK 
COULD  NOT  HAVE 
BEEN  WRITTEN 


PREFACE 


It  is  strange  that  during  the  three-score  years  that  have 
elapsed  since  the  death  of  WiUiam  Beckford  only  one 
attempt,  and  that,  to  quote  Dr.  Garnett,  "  a  most  intoler- 
able piece  of  bookmaking,"  has  been  made  to  write  his 
biography,  for  his  character  and  achievements  were  just 
those  that  usually  attract  attention.  He  was,  indeed,  a 
many-sided  man.  As  an  author  he  gave  proof  of  his 
humour  in  that  elaborate,  long-forgotten  jest,  the  "Bio- 
graphical Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters";  of  his 
imagination  in  the  famous  story  of  "  Vathek,"  and  of  his 
powers  of  observation  and  picturesque  description  in  his 
books  of  travel :  work  that  extorted  the  praise  of  Byron, 
Lockhart,  and  Benjamin  Disraeli.  He  was  the  greatest 
English  connoisseur  of  his  day,  collecting  most  kinds  of 
works  of  art  and  vertu ;  his  library  was  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  ever  brought  together  in  this  country  by  a 
private  individual ;  and,  further,  he  was  to  a  great  extent 
architect  of  his  pleasure-palace  of  Fonthill.  The  son 
of  a  millionaire  who  has  his  niche  in  the  political  history 
of  England,  he  was  brought  up  under  the  eye  of  Chatham 
and  Camden ;  in  his  childhood  was  a  playfellow  of  the 
younger  Pitt ;  while  yet  a  lad  made  acquaintance  with 
Lord  Thurlow,  Voltaire,  Madame  de  Stael,  and  a  host  of 
notabilities ;  and  in  later  days  was  intimate  with  Nelson, 
Sir  William  Hamilton  and  his  second  too-famous  wife 
Emma,  Samuel  Rogers,  the  Duke  of  Portland  and 
Disraeli. 


vii 


viii  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

The  memoir  of  Beckford,  to  which  allusion  has  been 
made,  was  written  by  Cyrus  Redding,  and  pubhshed  in 
1859.    It  is  largely  composed  of  extracts  from  Beckford 's 
books,  and  the  only  valuable  matter  in  it  is  the  "  Conversa- 
tions with  the  Author  of  '  Vathek,'"  that  Redding  had 
printed  fifteen  years  earlier  in  the  New  Monthly  Magazine, 
The  best  biographical  account  of  Beckford  is  in  the  Dic- 
tionary of  National  Biography,  written  by  Dr.  Garnett, 
who  subsequently  contributed  a  valuable  introduction, 
containing  extracts  from  hitherto  unpublished  letters,  to 
an  edition  of  "Vathek"  (1893).    There  is,  too,  a  very 
interesting  article  by  Mrs.  Gertrude  Townshend  Mayer, 
entitled,  "  The  Sultan  of  Lansdown  Tower  "  ( Temple  Bar, 
June  1900),  in  which  is  printed  another  series  of  letters, 
written  to  Clarke,  the  second-hand  bookseller.    There  are 
glimpses  of  Beckford  in  the  Chatham  Correspondence, 
Pettigrew's  "  Life  of  Nelson,"  Moore's  "  Life  of  Byron," 
the  Memoirs  of  Moore  and  Rogers,  and  Mr.  Walter 
Sichel's  biography  of  Emma,  Lady  Hamilton ;  and  no  one 
can  afford  to  ignore  Mr.  Charles  Whibley's  admirable 
character-sketch  of  "The  Caliph  of  Fonthill"  in  that 
volume  of  brilliant  essays,  "The  Pageantry  of  Life." 
An  interesting  paper  on  "Vathek"  was  contributed  by 
Mr.  John  Hodgkin  to  the  Athenceum  (December  25, 1909) 
while  this  book  was  in  the  press. 

Besides  the  material  already  accessible,  though  never 
before  gathered  together,  1  have  been  so  fortunate  as  to 
obtain  permission  to  include  a  very  considerable  number 
of  letters,  hitherto  unpublished,  written  by  Beckford 
between  1777  and  1844 ;  that  is  to  say,  from  his  seven- 
teenth to  the  last  year  of  his  long  life.  Beckford  left  his 
property  to  his  surviving  daughter,  Susan  Euphemia,  wife 
of  Alexander,  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton ;  and,  though  his 
books  and  pictures  have  been  dispersed,  his  correspondence 
and  papers  have  been  preserved  in  the  Charter  Room  of 
Hamilton  Palace.  By  the  courtesy  of  the  present  Duke 
of  Hamilton  I  have  examined  the  letters  and  manuscripts, 


PREFACE 


ix 


and  from  them  I  have  selected  some  two  hundred  of  the 
former  for  insertion  in  this  work.  I  have  also  been 
allowed  to  photograph  several  of  the  pictures  at  Hamilton 
Palace,  which  are  here  reproduced,  some  of  them  for  the 
first  time.  Nor  is  this  by  any  means  the  extent  of  my  good 
fortune.  Mrs.  Alfred  Morrison,  of  Fonthill  House,  has 
generously  permitted  me  to  print  the  valuable  series  of 
letters  in  her  possession  written  by  Beckford  to  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Henley,  the  translator  of  "  Vathek,"  during 
the  period  when  that  masterpiece  was  being  composed; 
and  Mr.  John  Macnamara,  of  Brighton,  has  sent  me 
nineteen  letters,  mostly  used  in  the  chapter  "  Beckford's 
Adventure  in  Diplomacy,"  that  he  inherited  from  his 
great-uncle,  Mr.  Pedley,  a  friend  of  Beckford,  and  brother 
to  that  Robert  Deverell  (formerly  Pedley),  who  was  for 
some  years  from  1802  Member  of  Parhament  for  Saltash. 
Some  of  Mr.  Macnamara's  letters  I  printed  in  the  issue  of 
the  Nineteenth  Century  and  After  for  May  1909,  and  to  a 
happy  suggestion  of  the  editor,  Mr.  W.  Wray  Skilbeck,  I 
owe  the  title  of  the  chapter  above  mentioned.  By  the 
kindness  of  the  owner  of  the  letters,  Mrs.  Townshend 
Mayer,  and  Messrs.  Macmillan  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  I  am  also 
enabled  to  include  the  interesting  correspondence  first 
made  public  in  "  The  Sultan  of  Lansdown  Tower."  There 
are  no  Beckford  letters  of  any  interest  in  the  British 
Museum,  but  in  the  Forster  Bequest  at  the  Victoria  and 
Albert  Museum,  South  Kensington,  is  a  series  written 
between  1840  and  1844,  the  greater  part  of  which  will  be 
found  in  the  following  pages.  As  Beckford  is  little  known 
as  a  letter- writer,  I  venture  to  hope  that  the  correspon- 
dence printed  here,  most  of  it  for  the  first  time,  will  be 
found  peculiarly  interesting. 

My  very  sincere  thanks  are  due  to  the  ladies 
and  gentlemen  already  mentioned;  and  I  gladly  make 
acknowledgment  of  assistance  and  advice  I  have  received 
from  Mrs.  A.  C.  Inchbold,  the  author  of  "Lisbon  and 
Cintra,"  Mr.  Francis  A.  Yates,  Mr.  Frederick  S.  Shum, 


X  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Mr.  A.  Somerville  Story,  Mr.  John  Charrington,  Mr. 
C.  E.  S.  Chambers,  Mr.  J.  M.  Bullock  (whose  brochure 
on  "  The  Earls  of  Aboyne  "  was  of  use  to  me),  Mr.  Osman 
Edwards,  Mr.  W.  Watanabe,  Dr.  William  Ettles,  Dr.  Lisle 
Goodridge,  and  Mr.  W.  F.  Kirby.  The  Rev.  Henry  W. 
Clark,  of  Harpenden,  has  placed  me  under  a  heavy  obliga- 
tion by  giving  me  the  benefit  of  his  counsel  throughout 
the  composition  of  this  book,  and  by  reading  the  proofs. 
I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  John  Murray  for  permission  to 
insert  two  copyright  letters  of  Lord  Beaconsfield ;  while  to 
Mr.  George  Dalziel,  Mr.  Duncan  C.  Barr,  Chamberlain  to 
the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  Mr.  Matthew  Ker,  and  Mr.  S. 
Forrest,  of  the  Hamilton  Estate  Office,  I  am  under  a 
deep  obligation  for  many  kindly  services  during  the  time 
I  was  examining  the  Beckford  papers  at  Hamilton  Palace. 
The  letters  1  selected  at  Hamilton  Palace  for  this  work 
were  carefully  copied  by  Miss  Hope.  The  letters  are 
printed  here  as  written,  but  some  have  been  punctuated,  so 
as  to  make  easier  reading. 

To  Mr.  Walter  Jerrold  I  owe  a  very  heavy  debt  of 
gratitude,  for  he  was  about  to  write  a  biography  of  Beck- 
ford,  when,  seeing  the  announcement  that  I  was  engaged 
upon  a  similar  task,  he  most  generously  withdrew  from 
the  field,  and  left  it  open  to  me,  who  otherwise  would 
have  been  reluctant  to  continue  with  the  work  and  chal- 
lenge comparison  with  one  whose  established  reputation, 
literary  skill,  and  wide  knowledge,  are  so  many  assurances 
that  he  would  have  done  it  far  better. 

LEWIS  MELVILLE. 

Salcombe,  Harpenden,  Herts. 
April  1910. 


CONTENTS 


Introductoey  Pp.  1-5 

CHAPTER  I 
FAMILY  HISTORY 

The  origin  of  the  Beckford  family  :  Kobert  de  Bekeford  :  Alexander  de  Beckford  : 
Sir  William  Beckford  :  Kichard  Beckford,  tailor  :  Sir  Thomas  Beckford  :  Peter 
Beckford  goes  to  Jamaica  :  The  Beckfords  in  Jamaica  :  Colonel  Peter  Beckford  : 
The  Hon.  Peter  Beckford  :  William  Beckford,  father  of  the  author  of  *'  Vathek  "  : 
Educated  at  Westminster  School  :  Makes  the  Grand  Tour  :  A  love-aflfair  :  His 
two  marriages  :  Becomes  a  London  merchant  :  Acquires  Fonthill  House  :  M.P. 
for  Shaftesbury  :  Elected  Alderman  :  Returned  to  Parliament  for  the  City  of 
London  :  Lord  Mayor  :  A  supporter  of  Pitt  and  of  Wilkes  :  Lord  Mayor  again  : 
His  historic  speech  :  Lord  Chatham's  letter  of  congratulation  :  His  death  :  His 
statue  in  the  Guildhall  Pp.  6-12 


CHAPTER  H 

EARLY  YEARS  (1760-1776) 

Birth  of  William  Beckford,  the  author  of  "Vathek*'  :  Lord  Chatham  (then  William 
Pitt)  his  godfather  :  Alderman  Beckford's  letter  to  Lord  Chatham  : ,  Lord 
Chatham,  Lord  Camden,  and  "  the  good  Lord  Lyttelton  "  superintend  the  boy's 
education  after  his  father's  death  :  The  Rev.  John  Lettice  appointed  his  tutor  : 
The  mutual  respect  of  Beckford  and  Lettice  :  A  letter  from  Lettice  to  Beckford, 
1823  :  Beckford's  education  :  The  wide  range  of  subjects  in  which  he  was 
instructed  :  His  studious  disposition  :  He  subsequently  laments  his  ignorance 
of  astronomy  :  His  love  of  books  :  His  early  study  of  genealogy,  and  of  "  The 
Arabian  Nights"  :  A  spoilt  child  :  Beckford  at  thirteen,  according  to  Lord 
Chatham  :  Rebuked  by  the  Duchess  of  Queensberry  :  Lives  with  his  mother  : 
Visitors  to  Fonthill  :  Visits  to  Burton  Pynsent  :  His  letter  on  the  death  of  Lord 
Chatham  :  His  opinion  of  Chatham  and  William  Pitt  Pp,  13-24 


CHAPTER  HI 
GENEVA  (1777-1778) 

Mrs*  Beckford  objects  to  her  son  going  to  a  University  ;  He  is  sent  abroad  to  finish 
his  education  :  His  stay  at  Geneva,  1777-8  :  His  studies  :  His  friends  :  Bonnet  : 
Saussure  :  Huber  :  He  meets  Madame  de  Stael  :  His  visit  to  Ferney  to  see 
Voltaire  :  And  to  the  Grande  Chartreuse  :  His  verses  written  at  the  monastery  : 
Some  letters  written  by  him  abroad,  1777-8  Pp.  25-58 

xi 


xii 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  IV 

''BIOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIRS  OF  EXTRAORDINARY 
PAINTERS"  (1778-1780) 

Beckford  returns  to  Fonthill  :  His  impressions  :  Sent  on  a  tour  through  England  * 
Plymouth  :  He  and  Lettice  arrested  as  spies  :  Visits  Lord  Courtenay,  and  Charles 
Hamilton  :  A  taste  for  horticulture  :  Goes  north  :  Returns  to  Fonthill  :  Writes 
"Biographical  Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters"  :  Correspondence  with 
Lettice  concerning  the  book  :  Lettice's  preface  to  the  "Memoirs"  :  Motives 
that  inspired  the  "  Memoirs  "  :  Beckford's  sense  of  fun  :  "  A  laughable  book  "  : 
Lockhart's  verdict  on  the  "  Memoirs "  :  The  account  of  the  Extraordinary 
Painter  "  Sucrewasser  of  Vienna  "  :  Letters,  December  3,  1779,  to  May  10, 1780  : 
Beckford  at  Court  Pp.  59-87 


CHAPTER  V 

''DREAMS,  WAKING  THOUGHTS,  AND  INCIDENTS" 
(1780-1781) 

Beckford  again  goes  abroad  :  The  places  he  visited  :  The  letters  he  wrote  during  his 
tour  :  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents "  :  A  description  of  this 
work  :  His  anxiety  that  it  should  be  a  success  :  The  book  printed,  but  suppressed 
on  the  eve  of  publication  :  Possible  reasons  for  its  suppression  :  False  charg  c  s 
brought  against  Beckford  Pp.  88-111 


CHAPTER  VI 

COMING  OF  AGE  (1781-1782) 

Beckford  returns  from  his  second  Continental  tour  :  Stays  awhile  in  London  :  Goes 
to  Fonthill  :  Invitations  sent  out  for  a  house-party  at  Fonthill  for  Beckford's 
coming  of  age  :  The  festivities  on  that  occasion  :  "  A  fine  frenzy  for  three  days  "  : 
Visits  Mount  Edgcumbe  Pp.  112-123 


CHAPTER  VII 
"VATHEK'*  (1782) 

The  history  of  the  composition  of  **Vathek"  :  A  misunderstanding  or  a  misstate- 
ment :  The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  :  Beckford  conceives  the  idea  of  "  Vathek," 
and  proceeds  to  write  it  :  Henley  translates  it  :  The  author's  appreciation  of 
the  translation  :  Correspondence  between  Beckford  and  Henley  :  Beckford 
decides  that  the  original  and  the  translation  shall  be  published  simultaneously  : 
Henley  publishes  his  version  without  permission  :  His  weak  defence  of  his 
action  :  Henley  states  in  his  preface  that  there  was  an  Oriental  original  :  Beck- 
ford's indignation  :  He  publishes  "Vathek"  at  Lausanne  and  Paris  :  The 
sources  of  "Vathek"  :  Some  appreciations  of  the  story  ;  The  unpublished 
"  Episodes  "  of  "  Vathek  "  Pp.  124-147 


CONTENTS 


xiii 


CHAPTER  VIII 
MARRIAGE  (1783-1786) 

Beckford  decides  to  go  abroad  again  :  His  pleasure  at  leaving  England  :  Letter  to 
Lady  Hamilton  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  :  Travels  en  prince  :  His  retinue  : 
Lettice,  Errhert,  Burton,  Cozens  :  Letters  :  Returns  to  England  in  the  spring 
of  1783  :  His  marriage  :  Spends  his  honeymoon  on  the  Continent  :  Letters  : 
In  Switzerland  :  The  death  of  his  wife  :  His  grief  Pp.  148-173 

CHAPTER  IX 
SPAIN,  PORTUGAL,  AND  FRANCE  (1787-1796) 

Beckford  visits  Portugal  :  Becomes  acquainted  with  the  Marialva  family  at  Lisbon  : 
His  impressions  of  the  country  :  A  bull-fight  :  In  Spain  :  Eeturns  to  Portugal  : 
Then  goes  to  Paris  :  A  suspect  :  His  life  in  danger  :  Chardin  efifects  his  escape 
to  England  :  At  Fonthill  :  At  Lausanne  :  Purchases  Gibbon's  library  : 
Alcobaga  and  Batalha  :  Byron  on  Beckford's  "  paradise  "  at  Montserrat  :  Beck- 
ford's  two  burlesque  novels  Pp.  174-184 

CHAPTER  X 

AN  ADVENTURE  IN  DIPLOMACY  (1797) 

Inducements  for  Beckford  to  become  a  politician  :  A  letter  from  Lord  Thurlow  : 
Beckford  becomes  M.P.  for  Wells  :  Later  sits  for  Hinton  :  A  silent  member  : 
Comments  on  politicians  ;  O'Connell,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  Lord  John 
Kussell,  Palmerston,  Lord  Howick  :  His  expectations  of  a  serious  political  crisis  : 
His  desire  to  be  sent  as  British  envoy  to  Lisbon  :  His  attempt  to  negotiate  a 
peace  between  France  and  England  in  1797  :  The  correspondence  relating  thereto 

Pp.  185-212 

CHAPTER  XI 
FONTHILL  ABBEY  Pp.  213-227 

CHAPTER  XII 

"THE  ABBOT  OF  FONTHILL"  (1796-1822) 

The  Nelson  fete  at  Fonthill  :  Sir  William  Hamilton  and  his  second  wife  :  Beckford 
desires  a  peerage — letter  from  Lord  Thurlow,  &c.  :  Emma,  Lady  Hamilton  : 
"  Peter  Pindar  "  :  Nelson  at  Fonthill  :  Lady  Hamilton's  attitudes  "  :  A  letter 
from  Beckford  to  Lord  Nelson  :  The  quiet  life  at  Fonthill  :  Some  visitors  : 
The  impressions  of  Benjamin  West  and  Samuel  Kogers  :  Beckford's  amusements  : 
Selections  from  his  correspondence,  1796-1817  :  His  indoor  occupations  :  His 
love  of  books  :  Annotated  copies  :  Some  literary  criticisms  ;  His  unpublished 
anthology  :  His  religious  views  :  "  The  Last  Day  "  ;  "  A  Prayer  "  :  His  interest 
in  genealogy  and  heraldry  :  His  hatred  of  spurious  pedigrees  :  His  unpublished 
"Liber  Veritatis"  :  His  daughters  :  The  younger  marries  the  tenth  Duke  of 
Hamilton  :  The  elder  Lieutenant-General  Orde  :  The  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton  : 
Beckford's  affection  for  his  grandson,  the  eleventh  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Pp.  228-288 


/ 


xiv  CONTENTS 

CHAPITER  XIII 

BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR 

Beckford's  fame  as  a  collector  :  His  first  object  books  and  manuscripts  and  choice 
bindings  :  His  troubles  with  bookbinders  :  His  enthusiasm  as  a  collector  :  His 
methods  :  His  knowledge  of  pictures  :  His  love  of  Raphael's  works  :  Some 
criticisms  :  On  the  neglect  of  art  by  Governments  :  His  knowledge  of  prints  : 
His  attitude  towards  rival  collectors  :  His  dislike  for  Horace  Walpole  :  The 
Strawberry  Hill  sale  :  His  correspondence  concerning  the  items  he  desired  : 
His  arrogance  :  His  anger  at  any  failure  of  his  agent  :  His  enthusiasm  even  in 
the  last  month  of  his  life  Pp.  289-313 

CHAPTER  XIV 
"THE  SULTAN  OF  LANSDOWN  TOWER"  (1822-1837) 

The  sale  of  Fonthill  Abbey  :  Bought  by  John  Farquhar  in  1822  :  The  contents  sold 
by  Farquhar  in  1823  :  The  interest  displayed  by  collectors  :  A  skit  on  the  sale  : 
Hazlitt's  attack  on  Beckford's  taste  :  A  defence  of  Beckford  :  The  cost  of  building 
the  Abbey  :  A  disastrous  lawsuit  :  Depreciation  of  property  in  Jamaica  :  Beck- 
ford's diminishing  income  :  Bears  the  loss  of  the  Abbey  philosophically  :  Makes 
an  offer  for  Prior  Park,  Bath  :  Buys  houses  in  Lansdown  Crescent  :  And  land 
on  Lansdown  Hill  :  Erects  another  tower  ;  Beckford  and  rights  of  way  ; 
Description  of  his  Bath  residence  and  the  tower  :  His  mode  of  life  at  Bath  :  A 
man  of  mystery  :  Absurd  rumours  concerning  him  :  The  dwarf  Piero  :  His 
published  books  :  His  anonymous  works  :  His  unpublished  manuscripts  : 
Various  editions  of  "  Vathek  "  :  The  publication  of  "  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal," 
&c.,  and  "Alcoba^a  and  Batalha"  :  And  correspondence  concerning  it  :  His 
annoyance  at  adverse  criticisms  :  Lockhart's  eulogistic  review  of  the  "  Travels  "  : 
Beckford  and  Benjamin  Disraeli  Pp.  314-342 

CHAPTER  XV 
THE  LAST  YEARS  OF  WILLIAM  BECKFORD  (1838-1844) 

Beckford's  health  :  His  good  spirits  :  His  occupations  :  He  preserves  all  his  faculties 
in  old  age  :  His  activity  :  His  fortune  :  Correspondence  concerning  the  sale  of 
pictures  :  His  last  illness  :  His  death  :  His  grave  Pp.  343-352 

Appendix  :  Pp.  355-366 

A  Description  of  Fonthill  Abbey,  Wiltshire.  By 
James  Storer,  London,  1812 

Bibliography  Pp.  367-374 

Authorities  Pp.  375-376 


Index 


Pp.  377-391 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

To /ace 
page 

William  Beckford  {From  a  painting  hy  G.  Romney)  Frontispiece 
Photogravure 

Alderman  Beckford,    Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  10 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

William  Beckford.    George  Romney  26 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Hon.  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford.    Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  90 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Margaret  and  Susan  Beckford.    George  Romney  172 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

William  Beckford.    George  Romney  174 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Fonthill  Abbey  (view  of  the  west  and  south  fronts).  John  Rutter  214 
Fonthill  Abbey  (interior  of  the  great  western  hall).  John  Rutter  224 
William  Beckford.    Romney  228 

From  an  old  engraving 

Susan  Euphemia,  Duchess  of  Hamilton.    Thomas  Phillips  284 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Alexander,  Tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton,  K.T.    Sir  Henry  Raeburn  286 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 

Lansdown  Tower,  Bath.    Willis  Maddox  324 

From  a  dravnng  on  stone  hy  C.  J.  Richardson^  F.S.A. 

William  Beckford.    John  Doyle  344 


XV 


INTRODUCTORY 


It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  there  were  few  famous 
men  born  in  the  eighteenth  century  of  whom  less  is 
known  than  of  WilUam  Beckford  of  Fonthil],  the  author 
of  "  Vathek."  There  is  an  abundance  of  legend,  as  little 
trustworthy  as  most  legends,  but  of  the  man  as  he  was 
few  people  have  even  a  remote  conception.  This  may 
be  perhaps  because  there  has  been  no  biography  of 
him  worthy  the  name,  but  it  is  more  probably  due  to 
the  fact  that  he  led  a  secluded  life.  It  is  certain  that 
stories  concerning  him,  invariably  defamatory  and  usually 
libellous,  were  circulated  so  far  back  as  the  days  of  his 
minority,  and  that  these  were  revived  when,  after  his 
continental  tours,  he  settled  at  Fonthill.  Then  the  air  of 
mystery  that  enveloped  him  created  grave  suspicion  in 
the  minds  of  his  fox-hunting  neighbours.  Everything  he 
said  was  misrepresented  and  regarded  as  evidence  against 
him,  until  so  strong  was  the  feeling  that  it  was  looked 
upon  as  disgraceful  to  visit  him.  This,  however,  did  not 
prevent  Nelson,  or  Sam  Rogers,  or  Sir  William  Hamilton, 
from  going  to  Fonthill,  nor  later,  did  it  prevent  his 
acquaintance  with  Benjamin  Disraeli.  Notwithstanding, 
Beckford  was  accused  of  almost  every  conceivable  crime, 
and  John  Mitford,  in  one  of  his  note-books,  solemnly 
recorded  that  Beckford  was  accused  of  poisoning  his  wife  at 
Cintra  *  There  was  no  more  truth  in  any  other  accusation 
than  in  this  of  causing  the  death  of  a  woman  to  whom  he 
was  deeply  attached,  and  whose  loss  he  sincerely  mourned. 

*  British  Museum,  Add.  MSS.  32566,  f.  34. 

1  A 


/ 


2  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Thirty  years  after  her  death  Rogers  noticed  that  there 
were  tears  in  Beckford's  eyes  while  he  was  talking  of  her. 

This,  however,  was  but  one  of  many  slanders.  It  was 
said  he  built  the  high  wall  round  his  estate  at  Fonthill 
so  that  his  orgies  might  be  carried  on  unperceived — the 
wall  was  built  because  no  mere  request  would  keep  the 
hunters  off  his  land,  and  he  could  not  bear  to  see  the 
death  agonies  of  a  fox.  It  was  said  he  kept  a  number  of 
dwarfs,  and  with  their  aid  performed  blasphemous  rites 
and  indulged  in  magical  incantation — he  had  in  his  service 
one  dwarf,  Piero,  whom  he  had  rescued  in  some  Italian 
town  from  a  cruel  father.  Even  so  recently  as  ten  years 
ago  an  anonymous  writer  thought  it  worth  while  to  record 
in  a  literary  journal  *  the  reminiscences  of  an  elderly  lady 
who  lived  at  Bath  when  Beckford  resided  in  that  city, 
who  was  a  child  then,  and  who  had  no  acquaintance  with 
him.  This  elderly  lady  states  that  "  a  species  of  paroxysm 
would  seize  Beckford  if  he  saw  a  woman,"  yet,  a  line  before, 
she  speaks  of  his  riding  through  the  streets  of  Bath ! 
Were  the  women  of  Bath  on  these  occasions,  it  is  legiti- 
mate to  ask,  commanded,  like  the  inhabitants  of  Coventry 
when  Lady  Godiva  took  her  famous  airing,  to  keep  out  of 
sight?  Or  was  Beckford  seen  to  have  paroxysm  after 
paroxysm  as  his  horse  took  him  through  the  narrow  streets 
of  the  old-world  city  ?  The  same  authority  relates  that 
at  Beckford's  house  in  Lansdown  Crescent  there  were 
curiously  constructed  niches  in  the  walls  of  the  staircase, 
so  that  the  female  servants  could  conceal  themselves  when 
they  heard  their  master's  footsteps  ;  and  that  one  girl,  to 
satisfy  her  curiosity  as  to  what  Beckford  would  do  if  he 
saw  her,  had  her  curiosity  fully  satisfied,  for  "  the  woman- 
hater,  in  a  paroxysm  of  fury,  seized  her  by  the  waist,"  and 
threw  her  over  the  banisters.  This  suggests  a  new 
version  of  the  Peeping  Tom  episode,  and  also  brings  to 
mind  the  nursery  rhyme  : 

He  took  her  by  the  left  leg  and  threw  her  down  the  stairs. 
*  Literature,  June  30,  1900. 


INTRODUCTORY  3 

This  being  the  case,  it  is  pleasant  to  be  told  that  the 
misogynist  generously  bestowed  on  the  maid  a  pension 
for  life.  The  story  is  nearly  as  good,  and  quite  as  true, 
as  that  of  the  gentleman  who  killed  a  waiter  and  told  the 
landlord  of  the  inn,  who  thought  he  must  send  for  the 
police,  to  charge  it  in  the  bill. 

The  fact  is,  the  majority  of  writers  on  Beckford  have 
been  willing  to  recount  what  they  have  heard,  without 
making  any  attempt  at  verification,  even  when  such  a  task 
would  not  have  been  difficult.  Beckford,  we  are  told, 
was  as  likely  to  thrash  a  beggar  in  the  streets  as  to  give 
him  alms.  This  is  really  the  most  truthful  of  all  the 
charges  brought  against  him,  for  it  actually  has  for  its 
foundation  the  fact  that  he  once  did  strike  a  beggar! 
Here  is  the  story:  When  Beckford  was  riding  one  day 
to  Weston  a  man  near  his  gates  begged  from  him  and 
received  a  coin;  delighted  with  his  success,  the  beggar 
watched  which  way  the  donor  was  going,  took  a  short  cut, 
and  at  another  place  again  asked  for  alms,  only  to  be 
recognised  and  struck  with  a  whip. 

The  calumnies  that  pursued  Beckford  during  his  life, 
and  his  memory  since  his  death,  were  bad  enough,  but  the 
excuses  that  are  made  for  him  nowadays  are  worse.  The 
writer  already  referred  to  as  retailing  the  elderly  lady's 
gossip,  unable  to  account  for  Beckford's  mysterious  seclu- 
sion and  other  peculiarities,  falls  back  upon  the  convenient 
suggestion  of  a  mental  derangement."  "  We  learn,"  he 
says,  in  support  of  his  contention,  "  that  at  his  death  he 
showed  scarcely  a  sign  of  age,  a  peculiarity  frequently 
noticed,  of  course,  among  those  with  similar  mental  aber- 
rations." Another  peculiarity  frequently  noticed  among 
those  with  similar  mental  aberrations,  we  may  add,  is  that 
at  their  death  many  show  every  sign  of  age. 

Most  of  those  who  do  not  suggest  that  Beckford  was 
mad,  love  to  dwell  upon  his  eccentricities  ;  but  an  examina- 
tion of  their  arguments  show  that  these  eccentricities  were 
limited  to  the  building  of  Fonthill  and  a  love  of  seclusion. 


4  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Fonthill  was,  indeed,  an  eccentricity — the  whim  of  a 
millionaire ;  and  the  love  of  seclusion,  as  a  perusal  of  this 
biography  will  show,  has  been  vastly  exaggerated.  What 
a  genius  he  had  "  Vathek  "  proves  conclusively  ;  how  sane 
he  was  to  the  end  of  his  days  may  be  discerned  from  the 
letters,  printed  in  this  work,  written  in  the  last  years,  even 
in  the  last  month,  of  his  long  life. 

The  keynote  of  Beckford's  character  was  enthusiasm. 
If  he  undertook  anything  it  must  be  done  forthwith  ;  if  he 
had  a  desire,  he  must  satisfy  it  with  the  least  possible 
delay.  When  he  built  Fonthill  he  had  five  hundred  men 
working  day  and  night ;  when  he  collected  books,  he  did  so 
with  such  vigour  that  he  brought  together  one  of  the  finest 
private  libraries  in  the  world.  That  last  passion  never 
deserted  him,  and  in  his  eighty-fourth  year  he  studied 
catalogues  as  keenly,  and  was  as  impatient  for  news  of  the 
success  that  had  attended  his  agent  at  the  auction  sales, 
as  when  he  began  half  a  century  earlier.  Of  his  good 
qualities  something  will  be  said  in  the  ensuing  pages ; 
but  here  it  may  be  remarked  that  no  serious  charge 
brought  against  him  has  any  foundation  stronger  than 
gossip,  and  that  no  one  of  his  friends  ever  cast  an 
aspersion  upon  him  or  gave  credit  to  the  rumours  that 
circulated. 

Like  most  men,  Beckford  did  not  suffer  bores  gladly  ; 
but,  unlike  the  majority,  he  would  have  naught  to  do  with 
them.  Having  a  genius  and  a  million,  he  lived  his  life  as 
he  pleased ;  and,  as  he  wrote  when  he  was  seventeen,  he 
was  determined  not  to  be  what  to-day  is  called  a  "  horsey  " 
man,  nor  "to  despise  poetry  and  venerable  Antiquity, 
murder  Taste,  abhor  imagination,  distrust  all  the  charms 
of  Eloquence  unless  capable  of  mathematical  demonstra- 
tion, and  more  than  all  .  .  .  be  vigourously  incredulous  " ; 
above  all,  he  was  determined  not  to  be  what  your  old 
Ladies  call  .  .  .  a  charming  Gentleman."  While  welcoming 
his  few  friends,  and  opening  wide  his  door  to  distinguished 
writers,  artists,  and  musicians,  he  held  the  rest  of  the  world 


INTRODUCTORY 


5 


at  bay,  and  chose  to  spend  his  days  with  his  books  and 
pictures,  playing  the  piano,  and  superintending  his  gardens. 
So  well  did  he  order  his  life  that  when  the  flame  was 
burning  out,  he  could  say  truthfully,  "  I  have  never  known 
a  moment's  ennui r 


CHAPTER  I 

FAMILY  HISTORY 

The  origin  of  the  Beekford  family  :  Robert  de  Bekeford  :  Alex- 
ander de  Beekford  :  Sir  William  Beekford  :  Richard  Beekford, 
tailor  :  Sir  Thomas  Beekford  :  Peter  Beekford  goes  to  Jamaica : 
The  Beckfords  in  Jamaica  :  Colonel  Peter  Beekford  :  The  Hon. 
Peter  Beekford  :  William  Beekford,  father  of  the  author  of 
Vathek "  :  Educated  at  Westminster  School  :  Makes  the 
Grand  Tour  :  A  love-affair  :  His  two  marriages  :  Becomes  a 
London  merchant  ;  Acquires  Fonthill  House  :  M.P.  for 
Shaftesbury  :  Elected  Alderman  ;  Returned  to  Parliament 
for  the  City  of  London  :  Lord  Mayor  :  A  supporter  of  Pitt  and 
of  Wilkes  :  Lord  Mayor  again  :  His  historic  speech  :  Lord 
Chatham's  letter  of  congratulation  :  His  death  :  His  statue  in 
the  Guildhall 

The  origin  of  the  Beekford  family  is  not  easily  to  be 
traced,  and  it  is  enough,  perhaps,  to  accept  the  statement 
made  by  Cyrus  Redding  in  his  memoir  of  the  author  of 
"  Vathek,"  that  it  "  cannot  be  disproved "  that  a  family 
named  Beekford  or  Bekeford  was  settled  before  the 
Norman  Conquest  in  the  parish  of  Beekford,  near  Tewkes- 
bury. Certainly  the  annals  of  Gloucestershire  contain 
mention  in  the  twelfth  century  of  a  Robert  de  Bekeford, 
and  in  the  reign  of  Kichard  II.  of  an  Alexander  de  Beck- 
ford;  but  the  first  distinguished  Beekford  was  that  Sir 
WiUiam  who  fought  and  died  for  Richard  III.  at  Bosworth 
Field.  His  action  involved  the  immediate  ruin  of  his 
family,  for  Henry  VII.  sequestrated  from  the  fallen 
knight's  successors  their  lands  in  the  parish  of  Beekford  : 
these,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.,  were  presented  by  the 
erown  to  Sir  Richard  Lee. 

Nothing  more  is  known  of  the  family  until  the 

6 


THE  BECKFORD  FAMILY  7 

seventeenth  century,  when  Richard  Beckford  lived 
at  Maidenhead  and  earned  his  livehhood  as  a  tailor. 
Probably  he  would  never  have  been  heard  of  but  for 
his  sons;  one  of  these,  Thomas,  a  clothworker — 
Pepys  called  him  the  "slop-seller" — ^became  Alder- 
man and  Sheriff  of  London  and  was  knighted  in  1677, 
and  the  other,  Peter,  went  to  Jamaica.  With  the 
descendants  of  Thomas  it  is  not  necessary  to  concern 
ourselves ;  but  we  must  follow  the  career  of  Peter, 
who  was  the  great-great-grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  biography. 

Probably  Peter  was  induced  to  go  to  Jamaica  because 
relatives  of  his  were  already  established  there  in  good 
positions.  In  course  of  time  the  members  of  the  family  had 
become  a  power  in  the  island :  there  was  Edward  Beckford, 
who  held  a  patent  of  land  in  1666  ;  Beckford  Town,  near 
Savannah  le  Mar,  in  the  parish  of  Westmoreland  and  the 
county  of  Cornwall, was  the  property  of  Richard  Beckford; 
Esher  was  one  of  the  estates  of  William  Beckford ;  and 
Ballard  Beckford  owned  the  Whitehall  and  Frontier  pro- 
perties. Peter,  who  also  became  a  planter,  was  no  less 
successful,  and,  first  acquiring  land  in  1669,  subsequently 
became  very  wealthy.  His  eldest  son,  who  became 
Colonel  Peter  Beckford,  was  sometime  Commander-in- 
chief  of  the  forces  of  the  colony,  and  distinguished  himself 
against  the  French.  In  this  position  he  contrived  to 
acquire  so  much  influence,  that  during  the  reign  of 
Charles  II.  he  was  appointed  President  of  the  Council 
in  Jamaica,  and  under  William  III,  was  given  the  high 
office  of  Governor,  which  he  held  until  April  3,  1710, 
when  he  died  suddenly — it  is  said  in  a  fit  of  passion 
occasioned  by  his  being  contradicted  by  a  member  of  the 
Council.  Colonel  Peter  Beckford  married,  first,  Bridget 
(Beeston  ?),  who  died  in  1671,  and  then  Anne  Ballard, 
who  died  in  1696 ;  and  he  had  issue,  two  daughters, 
Priscilla,  born  in  1675,  and  Elizabeth,  born  three  years 
later;  and  three  sons,  Peter;  Charles,  who  died  in  infancy  in 


/ 


8  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

1677 ;  and  Thomas,  who  was  killed  in  1731  by  a  man  he 
had  offended. 

Colonel  Peter  Eeckford  increased  the  fortune  left  him 
by  his  father,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  besides  mort- 
gages and  other  valuable  securities,  was  possessed  of 
twenty-four  plantations  and  twelve  hundred  slaves.  The 
bulk  of  this  property  descended  to  the  eldest  son,  the  Hon. 
Peter  Beckford,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Assembly  of  the 
island,  who  died  on  November  3,  1735,  leaving  land  and 
investments  valued  at£300,000.  He  had  married  Bathshua, 
daughter  of  Colonel  Julines  Hering,  and  sister  and  co-heir 
of  Nathaniel  Hering  ;  and  of  this  union  there  were  thirteen 
children.  His  heir  was  his  eldest  son,  Peter,  who,  dying 
unmarried  in  1737,  left  all  his  great  possessions  to  his 
second  brother,  William,  the  father  of  the  author  of 
"  Vathek."  * 

Of  William  Beckford  something  must  be  said,  but  it  is 
unnecessary  here  to  do  more  than  outline  his  distinguished 

*  Of  the  remaining  children  of  the  Hon.  Peter  Beckford,  the  following 
particulars  have  been  collected  : 

Richard^  barrister.  Alderman  for  the  Ward  of  Farringdon,  M.P.  for 
Bristol,  died  unmarried  in  1756,  leaving  his  property,  worth  .£10,000  a 
year,  to  his  brother  William. 

Thomas,  a  twin  with  Richard,  died  young. 

Julines  (d.  1765),  of  Stapleton,  Dorset,  M.P.  for  Salisbury.  He 
married  Elizabeth,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Solomon  Ashley,  of  Ledgers 
Ashby,  CO.  Northampton;  and  had  issue,  one  son,  Peter  (1740-1811), 
M.P.  for  Morpeth,  a  distinguished  sportsman  and  author  of '^Thoughts 
upon  Hare  and  Fox  Hunting,"  &c.  Peter  married  in  1773  Louisa  Pitt, 
second  daughter  of  Lord  Rivers ;  their  son,  William  Horace,  by  a  special 
patent,  succeeded  to  the  barony  and  became  the  third  Lord  Rivers. 

Francis  {d.  1768),  of  Basing  Park,  Hants.;  married,  first,  Lady 
Albinia  Bertie,  daughter  of  the  Duke  of  Ancasterand  Kesteven,  by  whom 
he  had  a  son  who  died  unmarried ;  and  second,  Susanna,  daughter  of 
Richard  Love,  of  Basing,  who  also  bore  him  a  son. 

George,  died  young. 

Nathaniel,  died  unmarried,  1739. 

Anne  {d.  1745),  married  George  Ellis,  Chief  Justice  of  Jamaica,  and 
had  several  sons. 

PhILLIS        11      1  .J 

-o  y  died  unmarried. 

Bathshua  j 

Elizabeth  {d.  1791),  married,  first,  Thomas,  second  Earl  of  Effingham 
{d.  1763),  and  had  issue  one  son,  the  third  Earl,  and  four  daughters ;  and 
second,  Field-marshal  Sir  George  Howard  {d.  1796). 


ALDERMAN  BECKFORD 


9 


career,  since  he  died  when  his  only  son  was  ten  years  of 
age,  and  therefore  had  no  direct  influence  upon  the  forma- 
tion of  the  latter's  character.  Born  in  Jamaica  on 
December  19,  1709,  he  was  fourteen  years  later  sent  to 
England,  where  he  was  placed  in  the  charge  of  the  Rev. 
Robert  Friend,  Headmaster  of  Westminster  School,  who 
subsequently  spoke  of  him  as  one  of  the  best  scholars  ever 
placed  in  his  care.  This  was  high  praise,  indeed,  when  it 
is  remembered  that  at  the  same  time  at  Westminster 
were  William  Murray  (afterwards  Lord  Mansfield),  James 
Johnson  (afterwards  Bishop  of  Worcester),  and  Thomas 
Hay  (afterwards  eighth  Earl  of  KinnouU),  called  "  the 
triumvirate '  because  of  their  great  abilities.  For  some 
unknown  reason,  William  Beckford  did  not  go  to  a 
university,  but  completed  his  education  by  making  the 
Grand  Tour.  In  Holland  he  fell  in  love  with  a  beautiful 
girl,  the  daughter  of  a  Leyden  shopkeeper,  whom  he 
induced  to  return  to  England  with  him.  It  is  said  that 
only  the  certainty  of  the  bitter  opposition  of  his  family, 
and  his  own  dependent  position,  prevented  his  marrying 
her,  and  that  it  was  his  intention  at  the  first  opportunity 
to  do  so.  On  his  father's  death  in  1735  he  was  summoned 
to  Jamaica  in  connection  with  the  property,  and  was  kept 
there  for  a  year  ;  but  when  all  arrangements  were  made, 
he  hurried  home  eager  to  make  the  girl  his  wife,  only  to 
find  that  in  his  absence  she  had  been  unfaithful ;  where- 
upon, much  depressed,  he  bestowed  upon  her  a  pension 
and  sent  her  back  to  Holland.  Of  this  connection  there 
was  a  son.  Subsequently  William  Beckford  married 
Maria  March,  a  widow  with  a  daughter  Elizabeth  (after- 
wards Mrs.  Hervey) ;  and,  after  her  death,  Maria,  daughter 
and  co-heir  of  the  Hon.  George  Hamilton,  Member  of 
Parliament  for  Wells,  second  surviving  son  of  James, 
sixth  Earl  of  Abercorn. 

On  his  return  from  Jamaica,  Beckford  had  become  a 
merchant  in  the  City  of  London,  mainly,  it  may  be  sur- 
mised, with  the  object  of  disposing  of  the  produce  of  his 


/ 


10  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

colonial  estates  to  the  best  advantage.  He  had  a  house  in 
Soho  Square,  and  presently  acquired  an  estate  at  Fonthill- 
GifFard  in  Wiltshire  ;  and  both  in  town  and  at  his  country 
seat  he  entertained  in  accordance  with  his  vast  wealth. 
Soon  he  entered  public  life.  He  was  elected  to  Parliament 
in  1747  as  member  for  Shaftesbury,  and  held  this  seat  for 
seven  years.  In  1752  he  was  admitted  to  the  freedom  and 
livery  of  the  Ironmongers'  Company,  and  in  the  next  year 
was  appointed  Master ;  while  on  June  24,  1752,  he  was 
chosen  Alderman  for  the  Ward  of  Billingsgate,  in  succes- 
sion to  Thomas  Winterbottom,  the  Lord  Mayor,  who  had 
died  three  weeks  earlier.  At  the  general  election  of  1754 
he  was  returned  on  April  19  for  Petersfield,  and  on  May  7 
for  the  City  of  London  ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  he 
decided  to  represent  the  greater  constituency.  Eight  years 
later  he  became  Lord  Mayor,  and  his  term  of  office  was 
distinguished  by  the  most  magnificent  banquets,  though, 
we  are  assured,  his  own  tastes  in  eating  and  drinking  were 
very  simple. 

In  politics  Beckford  was  on  the  popular  side,  a  stalwart 
supporter  of  the  elder  Pitt.  He  sided  with  Wilkes,  and 
he  it  was,  and  not  the  famous  demagogue,  who  declared 
that  under  the  House  of  Hanover  Englishmen  for  the 
first  time  had  been  able  to  be  free,  and  for  the  first  time 
had  determined  to  be  free.  In  spite  of  his  protests  and 
the  machinations  of  the  Court  party,  he  was  in  November 
1769  again  elected  Lord  Mayor,  and  it  was  during  this 
second  term  of  office  he  made  the  speech  that  caused  his 
name  to  be  enrolled  in  the  list  of  English  w^orthies.  On 
March  14, 1770,  Beckford,  in  his  official  capacity,  presented 
to  the  King  an  Address  from  the  City  of  London,  pro- 
testing against  a  false  return  that  had  been  made  at  the 
Middlesex  election.  George  III.  administered  to  the 
deputation  a  stern  rebuke ;  and  to  this  the  Lord  Mayor, 
for  his  part,  made  indirect  reply  by  a  series  of  toasts 
which  he  proposed  at  a  private  entertainment  at  the 
Mansion  House : 


LORD  CHATHAM 


XI 


May  justice  and  wisdom  ever  follow  the  public 
councils. 

May  the  fundamental  liberties  of  England  be  revered 
and  defended. 

May  the  noble  assisters  and  protectors  of  English 
liberty  be  held  in  perpetual  remembrance. 

May  the  violators  of  the  rights  of  election,  and  petition- 
ing against  grievances,  be  confounded. 

May  the  wicked  be  taken  away  from  before  the  King, 
that  his  throne  may  be  established  in  righteousness. 

May  corruption  cease  to  be  the  weapon  of  the 
government. 

May  the  spirit  of  the  constitution  prevail  over  secret 
and  undue  influence. 

Lord  Chatham  and  our  absent  friends. 

George  III.  had  yet  to  learn  that  the  City  of  London 
could  not  be  overawed,  and  on  May  17,  Beckford,  again 
accompanied  by  the  Aldermen  and  livery,  presented  a 
second  remonstrance,  to  which  the  King  again  replied 
curtly.  Thereupon,  unexpectedly  Beckford  asked  per- 
mission to  say  a  few  words,  and,  without  waiting  for  per- 
mission or  refusal,  delivered  the  speech  that  has  since 
become  historical. 

Lord  Chatham  to  Alderman  Beckford 

Hayes,  May  25tk,  1770. 

My  dear  Lord, 

In  the  fullness  of  the  Heart  the  Mouth  speaks,  and 
the  over-flowing  of  mine  gives  Motion  to  a  weak  hand, 
to  tell  you  how  truly  I  respect  and  love  the  Spirit,  which 
your  Lordship  display 'd  on  Wednesday. 

The  Spirit  of  Old  England  spoke,  that  never  to  be 
forgotten  day.  If  the  Heart  of  the  Court  be  hardened, 
the  feelings  of  the  people  will  be  more  and  more  awaken'd, 
by  every  Repetition  of  unrelenting  Oppression,  on  one 
part,  &  of  determin'd  &  legal  Exertions,  on  the  other. 
But  I  forbear  going  into  a  Dissertation,  when  my  Mind 
is  big  only  with  Admiration,  Thanks,  &  Affection. 

Adieu  then,  for  the  present  (to  call  you  by  the  most 


/ 


12  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

honourable  of  Titles)  time  Lord  Mayo?'  of  London,  that 
is,  first  Majistrate  of  the  Jirst  City  of  the  World  !  I  mean 
to  tell  you  only  a  plain  truth,  when  I  say,  your  Lordship's 
Mayoralty  will  be  revered,  till  the  Constitution  is  destroy'd 
&  forgotten. 

Believe  me  ever  with  unalterable  attachment 
My  Dear  Lord 

Your  most  faithful 
Friend  &  affectionate 
humble  Servant 

CHATHAM. 

Lady  Chatham  wou'd  not  pardon  me,  if  I  left  her  out 
of  this  Expression  of  the  feelings  of  Hayes.  She  desires 
her  Compliments  to  your  Lordship  &  Lady  Mayoress. 

The  speech  was  Beckford's  last  move  in  the  game  of 
politics,  for  three  weeks  later,  coming  up  from  Fonthill  to 
London,  he  caught  a  chill,  and  died  on  June  21.  Nine 
days  after  he  was  buried  at  Fonthill.  His  memory  has 
been  perpetuated  by  a  monument  erected  in  his  honour 
in  the  Guildhall  by  the  City  of  London,  upon  the  pedestal 
of  which  is  engraved  in  letters  of  gold  the  speech  he  made 
in  defence  of  the  liberties  of  his  country. 


CHAPTER  II 


EARLY  YEARS  (1760-1776) 

Birth  of  William  Beckford,  the  author  of  "  Vathek"  :  Lord 
Chatham  (then  William  Pitt)  his  godfather  :  Alderman  Beck- 
ford's  letter  to  Lord  Chatham  :  Lord  Chatham,  Lord  Camden, 
and  "  the  good  Lord  Lyttelton  "  superintend  the  boy's  education 
after  his  father's  death  :  The  Rev.  John  Lettice  appointed  his 
tutor :  The  mutual  respect  of  Beckford  and  Lettice  :  A  letter  from 
Lettice  to  Beckford,  1823  :  Beckford's  education  :  The  wide  range 
of  subjects  in  which  he  was  instructed  :  His  studious  disposition  : 
He  subsequently  laments  his  ignorance  of  astronomy  :  His  love 
of  books  :  His  early  study  of  genealogy,  and  of  "  The  Arabian 
Nights  "  :  A  spoilt  child  ;  Beckford  at  thirteen,  according  to 
Lord  Chatham  :  Rebuked  by  the  Duchess  of  Queensberry  : 
Lives  with  his  mother  :  Visitors  to  Fonthill :  Visits  to  Burton 
Pynsent  :  His  letter  on  the  death  of  Lord  Chatham  :  His 
opinion  of  Chatham  and  William  Pitt 

William  Beckford,  the  author  of  "Vathek,"  the  son 
of  Alderman  Beckford  by  his  second  wife,  was  born  at 
Fonthill-GifFard,  in  Wiltshire,  on  October  1,  1760,  and 
for  him  was  secured  the  honour  of  having  for  his  god- 
father his  father's  friend,  the  elder  Pitt. 

Alderman  Beckford  to  William  Pitt 

Fonthill,  January  7,  l76l. 

My  dear  Sir, 

Your  very  obliging  and  much  esteemed  favour  duly 
received.  I  consider  it  the  greatest  honour  to  have  such 
a  sponsor  to  my  child.  He  was  made  a  Christian  last 
night,  and  Lord  Effingham*  was  your  proxy.  No  en- 
deavours of  mine  shall  be  wanting  (if  it  please  God  to 

*  Thomas,  second  Earl  of  Effingham,  who  had  married  the  Alder- 
man's sister,  Elizabeth. 

13 


/ 


14  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

spare  his  life)  to  instil  into  his  tender  mind  principles  of 
religion,  honour,  and  love  of  country.  It  is  true  these  are 
old-fashioned  principles  ;  but  they  are  such  as  you  approve 
of,  and  practise. 

Nothing  would  give  me  more  pleasure  than  to  take 
your  opinion  on  my  present  works  [at  Fonthill],  and  to 
regulate  my  future  operations  by  your  advice  and  judg- 
ment ;  but  I  cannot  flatter  myself  so  much  as  to  think  it 
possible  to  enjoy  that  comfort,  until  you  have  first  pro- 
cured for  your  country  a  safe,  honourable,  and  lasting 
peace. 

I  am,  my  dear  Sir, 

Your  ever  faithful  and 

affectionate  humble  servant, 

W.  BECKFORD  * 

Alderman  Beckford  died  in  1770,  and  Pitt,  now  created 
Lord  Chatham,  showed  that  he  was  not  content  to  be 
godfather  in  name  only,  for  he  took  an  active  interest 
in  the  education  of  the  lad  who,  if  he  lived  to  attain 
his  majority,  would  be  the  wealthiest  commoner  in 
England.  With  "the  good  Lord  Lyttelton"  and 
Lord  Camden,  the  Earl  drew  up  plans  for  his  godson's 
tuition,  which  met  with  the  entire  approval  of  Mrs. 
Beckford,  whose  sole  wish  in  the  matter  was  that  her 
only  child  should  not  go  to  school  but  should  be  taught 
at  home. 

Lord  Lyttelton  it  was  who  in  1771  asked  Dr.  William 
Cleaver  (afterwards  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph)  to  recommend 
a  tutor  for  little  William,  whom  he  represented  as  even  at 
that  early  age  "  possessing  parts  much  above  mediocrity 
and  indeed  of  more  than  ordinary  promise,  with  a  dis- 
position peculiarly  amiable."  Dr.  Cleaver  suggested  his 
cousin,  the  Rev.  John  Lettice,  Fellow  of  Sidney  Sussex 
College,  Cambridge,  who  had  recently  accompanied  Mr. 
(afterwards  Sir)  Robert  Gunning,  Minister  Plenipotentiary 

*  "  Chatham  Correspondence/'  vol.  ii.  p.  1 1 .  In  the  "  Correspondence'* 
this  letter  is  by  a  slip  dated  1 760,  which  has  led  some  earlier  writers 
erroneously  to  state  that  Beckford  was  born  in  1759' 


THE  REV.  JOHN  LETTICE  15 

to  the  Court  of  Denmark,  as  secretary  and  chaplain,  and 
had  been  entrusted  with  the  tuition  of  Miss  Gunning. 
A  better  choice  could  not  have  been  made.  Lettice,  who 
at  this  time  was  thirty-four  years  of  age,  was  a  gentleman 
and  a  scholar,  with  literary  tastes  that  had  first  found 
active  expression  in  the  poem  on  the  conversion  of 
St.  Paul  that  won  the  Seatonian  prize  in  1764  and  was 
published  in  the  following  year.  He  remained,  first  as 
tutor,  and  then  as  "  bear-leader,"  to  Beckford  for  ten 
years ;  he  accompanied  his  charge  during  the  two  tours 
abroad  made  during  his  minority,  and  he  undoubtedly 
exercised  as  much  influence  as  any  one  could  over  that 
wayward  nature.  When  Beckford  came  of  age  Lettice 
left  him,  and  four  years  later  was  presented  by  his  college 
to  the  living  of  Peasmarch,  in  the  riding  of  Hastings, 
Sussex.  In  1804  he  was  nominated  to  the  prebend  of 
Seaford  in  the  Church  of  Chichester,  and  he  held  these 
preferments  until  his  death  in  1832,  when  he  had  attained 
the  patriarchal  age  of  ninety-four.  Beckford's  respect 
for  him  never  faltered;  in  1796,  when  they  had  been 
acquainted  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  sent  him  on 
a  confidential  mission  to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  speaking 
of  him  as  one  who  had  "  proved  himself  worthy  of  my 
fullest  confidence  "  ;  and  three  years  later  he  charged  him 
with  the  education  of  his  little  girls,  with  whom  Lettice 
became  such  a  favourite  that  the  younger,  on  her  marriage 
with  the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  secured  his  appointment  as 
chaplain  to  her  husband.  The  relations  between  Beck- 
ford and  his  tutor  cannot  be  better  shown  than  in  a  letter 
from  the  latter,  written  more  than  fifty  years  after  their 
acquaintance  began. 

The  Rev.  John  Lettice  to  William  Beckford 

My  Dear  Sir, 

Tho'  it  is  long  since  I  have  troubled  you  with  a 
letter,  our  old  relation  of  Pupil  and  Preceptor,  and  its 
beneficial  consequences  to  myself,  the  result  of  your  grate- 


16 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


ful  kindness,  will  never  suffer  me  to  forget  you.  Good 
Mr.  Clarke,  with  whom  I  am  in  frequent  Correspondence 
for  small  Matters  in  the  literary  Way,  can  assure  you, 
that  I  seldom  omit  to  enquire  after  your  Health.  Altho' 
my  Difficulty  of  Hearing,  perhaps  rather  increased  since  I 
last  paid  You  my  personal  Respects,  makes  me  but  an 
unpleasant  Visitor  ;  yet  should  I  find  it  convenient  to  pass 
a  Week  or  Ten  Days  with  my  Relatives  in  Town  in  the 
earlier  Part  of  next  Month,  1  cannot  fail  to  give  myself 
the  Pleasure  of  a  few  Morning  Calls  upon  You  at  your 
new  Residence  ;  which  I  hope  you  will  find  in  all  Respects 
to  answer  Your  Wishes. 

Having  two  Years  since,  parted  with  a  little  Cottage 
which  I  had  at  Folkestone  for  the  Sake  of  Sea-Bathing,  I 
now  content  myself  with  a  Bathing-Tub  of  Salted  Water 
in  the  Summer,  and  if  occasionally  I  want  a  warm  Sea- 
Bath,  my  frequent  Walks  to  Rye  only  four  Miles  distant 
from  Peasmarsh  allow  me  sufficient  Opportunities  for  it. 
Having,  on  Account  of  my  Deafness,  given  up  all  Visiting 
in  my  Parish  or  Neighbourhood  beyond  Morning  Calls, 
my  time  is  chiefly  pass'd  when  not  engaged  in  Parochial 
Duties,  in  Solitude  among  my  Books  till  after  tea  in  the 
Evening,  when  I  read  to  the  Companions  of  my  Fireside ; 
and  still  retaining  as  much  activity  of  Mind  as  of  Body,  I 
hold  not  only  Correspondence  with  distant  Friends  and 
Relatives ;  but  often  write  upon  Serious  Subjects,  and 
sometimes  even  in  Verse  ;  and  may  possibly  when  in  Town 
submit  One  or  Two  of  my  metrical  Performances,  with 
Permission,  to  your  Perusal.  You  may  find  them  to  need 
Correction  ;  but  I  should  [hesitate]  to  ask  it  at  your  Hands, 
though  1  have  no  Friend  on  whose  Classical  Taste  I  could 
so  safely  depend.  But  I  have  nearly  finished  in  Prose  a 
kind  of  translation  of  Three  Discourses  from  the  French 
of  "  Sauvin,"  which  the  Importance  of  their  subject  may 
induce  me  to  publish,  and  if  you  would  do  me  so  great  a 
Favour  as  to  allow  these  to  lie  two  or  three  or  more  Days 
upon  your  Library  Table  for  Correction,  where  the  French 
Idiom  may  have  led  me  into  some  Improprieties  of  Expres- 
sion in  English,  I  shall  be  greatly  obliged  if  you  would 
mark  such  Passages  by  underlining  them  with  your  Pen. 
If  the  corrective  Words  or  Phrases  happen  at  once  to 
come  into  your  Mind  you  would  perhaps  kindly  set  them 
down  on  the  Underlined  Passages. 


BECKFORD'S  EDUCATION 


17 


When  you  find  leisure  to  honour  me  with  a  few  lines 
in  Answer  to  this,  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  hear, 
that  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Hamilton,  whom  I  under- 
stand to  be  still  abroad,  were  Both  well,  when  you  heard 
last  from  them. 

I  know  not,  whether  You,  whom,  without  Flattery  1 
can  safely  say,  Nature  made  a  Poet  of  the  first  Order, 
ever  amuse  yourself  with  writing  Verses.  If  you  do,  what 
an  admirable  Subject  would  the  Change  you  have  made 
in  the  Scenes  of  your  Life,  afford  you  for  a  Poem  in  the 
style  of  Reflexion  and  Meditation. 

I  am,  my  dear  Sir, 

Very  sincerely. 
Your  Obliged  and  Affectionate 

Humble  Servant, 

PeasmarsHj  Lamberhurst,  J.  LETTICE. 

May  Uh,  1823. 

Under  Lettice,  the  boy's  education  proceeded  upon 
ordinary  lines.  He  was  grounded  in  the  classics  and  the 
usual  elementary  studies,  and  every  care  was  taken  to  instil 
in  him  religious  principles.  He  was  taught  French,  which 
to  the  end  of  his  days  he  pronounced  with  the  old  Court 
accent ;  and  such  accomplishments  as  riding,  fencing,  and 
dancing.  Whenever  in  any  doubt  as  to  what  course  to 
pursue  with  regard  to  his  studies,  Lettice  had  recourse  to 
Lord  Chatham,  whose  decision  he  always  accepted  as 
final. 

The  Rev.  John  Lettice  to  the  Eaiil  of  Chatham 

FoNTHiLL,  Dec.  11,  1773. 
.  .  .  Mr.  Beckford  has  read  one  third  part  of  the  Essay 
on  Human  Understanding,  and  I  believe  not  unprofitably ; 
as  I  call  upon  him  for  an  account  of  every  paragraph  as 
soon  as  he  has  read  it ;  which  he  generally  gives  me  with 
much  facility.  The  habit  of  frequently  tracing  the  foot- 
steps of  so  regular  and  clear  a  reader  as  Mr.  Locke  through 
the  course  of  an  argument  may,  it  is  hoped,  be  no  ineffec- 
tual method  of  learning  to  set  his  own  thoughts  in  the 

B 


18 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


best  order,  and  to  express  them  with  perspicuity ;  and 
perhaps  this  would  be  a  point  gained,  much  to  be  wished ; 
that  of  making  a  gentleman  think  and  speak  with  precision 
without  the  pedantry  of  art. 

Your  Lordship  s  advice  on  the  article  of  arithmetic  was 
too  pressing  to  suffer  me  to  defer  a  trial  of  Mr.  Beckford's 
talent  for  numbers  ;  and  I  may  say,  that  the  little  time 
which  he  has  been  able  to  dedicate  to  them  has  been  well 
employed,  and  I  do  not  despair  of  his  becoming  a  profi- 
cient. The  cultivation  of  our  own  language  and  studies  of 
the  politer  kind  are  by  no  means  neglected ;  though  they 
are  not  to  be  preferred  to  the  others ;  inasmuch  as  we 
must  look  upon  taste  and  sentiment  as  acquisitions  of  less 
importance  than  the  right  use  of  reason.  Mr.  Beckford 
may,  however,  name  Homer,  Livy,  Cicero,  and  Horace, 
among  his  present  classical  acquaintance,  and  he  is  every 
day  becoming  more  intimate  with  them. 

I  assure  myself  that  it  will  give  your  Lordship  pleasure 
to  be  informed  that,  about  a  month  ago,  that  splendid 
heap  of  oriental  drawings,  &c.,  which  filled  a  large  table  at 
Burton  [Pynsent,  Lord  Chatham's  seat  in  Somersetshire], 
has  been  sacrificed  at  the  shrine  of  good  taste.  Mr. 
Beckford  had  firmness  enough  to  burn  them  with  his  own 
hand.  I  hope  that,  as  his  judgment  grows  maturer,  it  will 
give  me  an  opportunity  of  acquainting  your  Lordship  with 
other  sacrifices  to  the  same  power. 

As  your  Lordship's  goodness  has  authorised  me  to  beg 
your  advice  in  any  case  which  concerns  my  charge,  I 
should  be  happy  if  I  might  be  favoured  with  your  senti- 
ments on  the  subject  of  Latin  composition.  I  cannot 
determine  whether  it  be  of  real  necessity,  when  so  many 
other  objects,  seemingly  indispensable,  claim  our  time  and 
attention,  and  which  cannot  be  equally  pursued,  if  this  be 
judged  necessary  to  partake  them.* 

As  Beckford  grew  up  he  was  taught  drawing  by  (all 
his  biographers  say,  though  none  give  the  name)  one  of  the 
first  artists  of  the  day ;  and  he  studied  architecture  under 
Sir  WiUiam  Chambers,  then  building  the  new  Somerset 
House ;  and  music  under  Mozart.  He  told  Cyrus 
Redding  that  the  air  afterwards  known  as  "  Non  piu 

*    Chatham  Correspondence/'  vol.  iv.  pp.  313-6. 


MUSIC  AND  BOOKS 


19 


andrai "  in  "  The  Marriage  of  Figaro  "  was  hit  upon  by 
Mozart  at  one  of  these  lessons,  as  a  theme  upon  which  his 
pupil  might  compose  variations.  He  learnt  declamation, 
too,  and  at  an  early  age  won  the  approval  of  Lord  Chatham 
by  reciting  with  correct  emphasis  and  action  a  speech  from 
Thucydides  which  he  had  previously  translated  into 
English.  "  May  you,  my  son,"  the  aged  statesman  said 
to  his  son  William,  "  some  day  make  as  brilliant  a  speaker." 
The  cynical  may  see  in  this  remark  the  germ  of  the  dislike 
that  subsequently  existed  between  the  younger  Pitt  and 
Beckford. 

"  Great  pains  has  been  bestowed  upon  my  education," 
Beckford  said  in  his  old  age.  I  was  living  amidst  a  fine 
collection  of  works  of  art,  under  competent  tutors.  I 
was  studious  and  diligent  from  inclination.  I  was  fond  of 
reading  whatever  came  in  my  way.  After  my  classical 
studies  were  finished,  and  while  I  worked  hard  at  Persian, 
I  read  French  and  English  biographies  of  all  sorts."  How 
much  he  profited  by  his  education,  and  how  well  he  re- 
membered what  he  read,  the  numerous  allusions  to  men 
and  books  in  the  letters  written  when  he  was  a  boy  show 
conclusively.  He  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  taught,  or 
to  have  acquired  by  reading,  some  knowledge  of  most 
subjects,  except  astronomy ;  and  his  ignorance  of  that 
science  caused  him  regrets.  "  I  regret  never  having 
studied  astronomy,"  he  said  in  1835.  "  There  is  a  touch 
of  astrology  in  *  Vathek,'  I  believe ;  but  astrology  is  a 
very  obscure  science,  adept  in  it  as  I  am  pronounced  to  be 
by  many.  Except  what  everybody  knows  of  the  stars,  I 
know  nothing.  I  wish  I  was  better  acquainted  w4th  some 
of  those  distant  worlds.  Ten  years  younger,  and  I  would 
build  an  observatory  on  the  point  of  Lansdown  towards 
the  Avon,  three  hundred  feet  high,  furnish  it  with  instru- 
ments, and  shut  myself  up  until  I  was  master  of  the 
science." 

So  far  as  books  were  concerned  Beckford  was  preco- 
cious, though,  like  most  lads,  he  preferred  the  subjects  of 


/ 


20  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

his  own  choosing  to  those  he  was  compelled  to  study. 
A  chance  discussion  as  to  whether  the  Abercorn  branch 
of  the  Hamilton  family,  from  which  his  mother  was 
descended,  was  older  than  the  ducal  branch,  sent  him  early 
to  books  of  genealogy,  and  his  reading  in  this  byway  of 
history  imbued  him  with  a  pride  of  race  that  nothing 
ever  eradicated.  His  fathers  descent  did  not  satisfy 
him,  and  he  studied  the  pedigree  of  his  mother,  and  de- 
clared he  could  trace  it  to  John  of  Gaunt.  He  claimed  to 
have  the  unique  distinction  of  being  descended  from  all 
the  barons  (of  whom  any  issue  remained)  who  signed 
Magna  Charta.  "  You  know  that  by  my  mother's  side  I 
am  a  Hamilton  ?  You  remember  Grammont  s  Hamilton  ? 
He  was  an  ancestor  of  mine  by  the  Abercorn  family,"  he 
said  on  one  occasion ;  and  another  day  remarked,  "  Mine 
is  a  family  of  some  standing — I  had  the  quarterings 
properly  executed.  The  heralds  traced  me  to  a  Norman 
cobbler;  there  they  stopped."  The  ''Norman  cobbler" 
was,  of  course,  Oliver  de  Crespin,  Steward  of  Normandy. 

Mrs.  Beckford  had  been  dissatisfied  with  the  guardians 
appointed  by  her  husband,  and  she  contrived  to  have  her 
son  made  a  ward  of  Chancery.  No  objection  was  raised 
by  the  Court  to  the  boy  being  educated  at  home,  and 
certainly  so  far  as  learning  was  concerned,  Beckford  un- 
doubtedly profited  by  this  ;  but  a  lad  brought  up  under 
his  mother's  eye  is  rarely  disciplined  as  one  who  has  been 
to  school  and  mixed  with  boys  of  his  own  age.  Sometimes 
this  drawback  is  neutralised  when  the  youngster  is 
addicted  to  games,  but  in  Beckford's  case  this  was  not  so. 
His  pleasure  was  to  be  in  the  library,  and  to  read  all  the 
books  he  could  lay  hands  on.  One  day  at  a  very  early 
age  he  came  across  a  copy  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights,"  and 
this  chance  find  had  more  effect  upon  his  life  and  character 
than  any  other  incident.  He  read  and  re-read  these 
stories  with  avidity,  and  the  impression  they  made  on  him 
was  so  strong  that  Lord  Chatham  instructed  Lettice  that 
the  book  must  be  kept  from  him.    The  precaution  came 


"THE  ARABIAN  NIGHTS"  21 

too  late,  for,  though  the  injunction  was  obeyed  and  for 
some  years  the  "  Arabian  Nights  "  was  withheld  from  him, 
the  Oriental  tales  had  taken  possession  of  the  impressionable 
reader  to  such  an  extent  that  he  could  never  forget  them. 
They  had  fired  his  youthful  mind  and  held  his  imagination 
captive  ;  their  influence  over  him  never  waned  all  the  days 
of  his  life ;  and  while  they  inspired  him  with  the  idea  of 
"  Vathek,"  they  also  fostered  in  him  the  love  of  magnifi- 
cence, inherited  from  his  father,  that  resulted  in  the  erection 
of  Fonthill  Abbey  and  other  extravagances.  As  a  lad, 
owing  to  the  hold  the  stories  had  over  him,  he  became 
a  dreamer  and  lived  in  an  unreal  world  ;  and  it  is  not  sur- 
prising, therefore,  that,  though  of  an  amiable  disposition, 
he  became  wilful  and  capricious. 

"  Little  Beckford  was  really  disappointed  at  not  being 
in  time  to  see  you — a  good  mark  for  my  young  vivid 
friend,"  Lord  Chatham  wrote  to  William  Pitt,  October  9, 
1773.  "  He  is  just  as  much  compounded  of  the  elements 
of  air  and  fire  as  he  was.  A  due  proportion  of  terrestrial 
solidity  will,  I  trust,  come  and  make  him  perfect."* 

A  boy  of  thirteen  who  is  all  "  air  and  fire  "  is  certain 
to  be  spoilt  by  a  doting  mother  and  made  much  of  by 
visitors  to  the  house;  and  Beckford's  wit  was  so  much 
encouraged  by  almost  all  of  them  that,  in  spite  of  Lettice's 
admonitions,  he  frequently  got  out  of  hand.  Only  the  old 
Duchess  of  Queensberry — Gay's  Duchess — who  lived  in 
the  neighbourhood,  ventured  to  rebuke  him;  when  he 
treated  her  with  some  lack  of  respect  at  her  house,  without 
making  any  reply,  she  sent  a  servant  for  the  great  family 
Bible,  and  made  the  boy  read  a  passage  from  the  Book 
of  Solomon.  There  it  was,  young  man,  that  I  learnt 
my  manners,"  she  said,  impressively;  "I  hope  you  will 
remember  what  you  have  read." 

Beckford  lived  alternately  at  Fonthill  Abbey  and  at 
his  mother's  house  in  London,  and  his  most  constant  com- 
panions, besides  Lettice,  were  Mrs.  Beckford  and  Elizabeth 

♦     Chatham  Correspondence,"  vol.  iv.  p.  290. 


/ 


22  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

March,  the  daughter  of  the  Alderman's  first  wife,  and  a 
girl,  we  are  told,  "  of  considerable  personal  accomplish- 
ments." The  boy  was  brought  up  to  regard  and  address 
Elizabeth  as  a  sister,  and  they  lived  always  on  the  best 
terms.  AVhen  she  married  Mr.  Hervey  he  corresponded 
with  her,  and  several  letters  addressed  to  her  by  him  will 
presently  be  printed  ;  later  he  amused  himself  by  introduc- 
ing her  in  his  burlesque  novel, Azemia."  Fonthill  during 
the  owner's  minority  received  a  frequent  succession  of 
visitors,  for  Mrs.  Beckford  was  given  to  hospitality,  and 
there  sometimes  came  Lord  Chatham  and  his  family,  and 
Lord  Camden — whom  Beckford  called  "  the  Cato  of  the 
Bench  " — and  his  daughter,  and  Thurlow,  then  Attorney- 
General  ;  as  well  as  many  of  Mrs.  Beckford's  relations  and 
her  connections  by  marriage,  especially  Charles  Hamil- 
ton, Member  of  Parliament  for  Truro ;  and  the  late 
Alderman's  sister,  Elizabeth,  who  after  the  death  of  her 
first  husband,  Lord  Effingham,  had  married  Sir  George 
Howard. 

Occasionally  Beckford,  with  Lettice  in  charge,  used  to 
stay  at  Burton  Pynsent,  and  there  he  noticed  the  pains 
Lord  Chatham  took  with  the  education  of  his  second  son. 
"  I  remember,"  he  said,  "  Lord  Chatham  was  very  par- 
ticular about  the  words  he  used  in  conversation.  I  arrived 
once  at  Burton  Pynsent,  when  William  Pitt  had  been 
absent  on  a  visit,  but  was  hourly  expected  home.  I  was 
in  the  apartment  with  the  father  when  the  son  came  in. 
'  I  hope  you  have  spent  your  time  agreeably,  William  ? ' 
said  the  Earl.  '  Most  delectably,'  said  William.  Lord 
Chatham  put  on  one  of  his  stern  looks — sternly,  indeed, 
with  his  eagle  features  he  could  look  when  he  pleased : 
'  Delectably,  sir  ?  Never  let  me  hear  you  utter  that 
affected  word  again.    Delectably,  sir  !  "' 

Lord  Chatham  died  on  May  11,  1778,  and  when 
the  news  reached  Beckford,  who  was  abroad,  he  wrote 
a  letter  of  condolence  to  William  Pitt,  the  stilted  and 
formal  style  of  which  hides  the  grief  he  felt  at  the  loss 


DEATH  OF  LORD  CHATHAM  23 

of  one  for  whom  he  always  entertained  a  very  sincere 
affection. 

William  Beckford  to  William  Pitt 

If  an  individual,  a  Friend,  may  presume  to  offer  his 
condolence  amidst  the  effusions  of  National  Grief  on  a 
late  melancholy  occasion,  give  me  leave,  my  dear  Sir,  to 
assure  you  how  sincerely,  how  deeply,  it  affected  myself. 
And  let  me  beg  you  to  present  the  same  cordial  assurance 
to  Lady  Chatham,  to  My  Lord,  and  all  the  Family,  both 
on  my  own  and  my  Mother's  account.  Mr.  Lettice,  who 
has  always  partaken  my  own  sentiments  of  respect  and 
veneration  for  the  late  Lord  Chatham,  earnestly  begs  for 
a  share  in  this  Tribute  of  our  sorrow. 

But  great  and  affecting  as  is  the  loss  we  lament,  it  is 
happily  accompanied  with  Circumstances  which  we  cannot 
regard  without  Exultation.  I  am  at  present  so  situated 
as  to  have  many  occasions  of  observing  with  Triumph, 
that  Foreigners  are  scarcely  less  affected  than  ourselves  at 
the  generous  Contest  betwixt  the  Parliaments  of  the 
Capital  of  England  which  most  shall  honour  the  remains 
of  their  patriot.  The  other  expression  of  the  Nation's 
Gratitude  may  be  checked  by  the  unhappy  state  of  our 
affairs,  but  could  they  have  their  free  course,  perhaps  the 
virtues  and  services  we  wish  to  reward  are  not  within  the 
compass  of  any  other  Recompense  than  that  which  he  is 
gone  to  receive. 

I  am  ever,  Dear  Sir, 

Your  very  aff.  Friend, 

and  most  obedient  Servant, 

June  23,  1778.  WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Though  in  these  early  days  Beckford  must  have  taken 
the  great  qualities  of  Lord  Chatham  on  trust,  when  he 
grew  up  he  never  swerved  from  this  attitude  of  admira- 
tion, and  he  contrasted  the  son  with  the  father,  greatly  to 
the  former's  disadvantage.  After  expressing  his  belief 
that  George  III.  persuaded  Lord  North  to  prolong  the 
American  War  after  all  hope  of  success  had  gone,  he 


/ 


24  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

declared  that  the  monarch  also  drove  Pitt  into  the  war 
with  France.  AVhen  it  was  suggested  that  the  minister 
might  have  resigned,  "  Pitt  loved  power,"  he  answered ; 

he  was  proud — but  he  had  not  the  pride  of  his  father, 
who,  a  courtier  in  manners  and  fond  of  power  too,  would 
not  suffer  the  King  to  rob  him  of  his  self-respect."  "  I 
should  scarcely  have  dared  to  look  into  that  grave,"  he 
said,  years  later,  when  speaking  of  Pitt's  funeral ;  "  all  the 
past  would  rush  upon  me  ;  melancholy  reflections  would 
haunt  me  afterwards.  William  Pitt  had  great  abilities  ; 
but  he  wanted  the  grand  soul  of  his  father." 


CHAPTER  III 


GENEVA  (1777-1778) 

Mrs.  Beckford  objects  to  her  son  going  to  a  University  :  He 
is  sent  abroad  to  finish  his  education  :  His  stay  at  Geneva, 
1777-8  :  His  studies  :  His  friends  :  Bonnet  :  Saussure  :  Huber  : 
He  meets  Madame  de  Stael  :  His  visit  to  Ferney  to  see  Voltaire  : 
And  to  the  Grande  Chartreuse  :  His  verses  written  at  the 
monastery  :  Some  letters  written  by  him  abroad,  1777-8 

When  Beckford  was  in  his  seventeenth  year,  the  question 
arose  where  he  should  finish  his  education,  for  his  mother 
was  strongly  prejudiced  against  sending  him  to  a  univer- 
sity, regarding  the  temptations  that  would  be  held  out  to 
a  young  man  of  enormous  wealth  as  more  than  counter- 
balancing the  advantages  offered.  Eventually  the  Court 
sanctioned  a  plan  whereby  in  the  autumn  of  1777  Beck- 
ford should  go  to  Geneva  to  stay  with  his  relatives  Colonel 
and  Miss  Hamilton,  while  Lettice,  who  was  to  accompany 
his  pupil  and  superintend  his  studies,  should  be  housed 
close  by. 

This  was  the  first  time  Beckford  had  been  emancipated 
from  maternal  control,  and,  though  devoted  to  his  mother, 
like  all  high-spirited  lads,  he  found  much  enjoyment  in 
being  to  some  extent  his  own  master.  He  was  sometimes 
at  the  Hamiltons'  house  at  Geneva,  sometimes  at  their 
little  country  seat  at  Chenes,  three  miles  away.  He 
worked  with  Lettice ;  read  civil  law  with  M.  Naville ; 
pondered  over  Locke's  "Conduct  of  the  Mind";  and 
accepted  an  invitation  to  Baron  Prangin's  chateau  near 
Nyon  to  hear  the  lectures  on  experimental  physics  by 
M.  d'Epinans,  who  in  England  twenty  years  earlier  had 

25 


26  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

delivered  them  to  the  prince  who  was  afterwards  George  1 1 1. 
For  the  first  time  in  his  Ufe  Beckford  had  the  opportunity  to 
enjoy  unrestricted  intercourse  with  boys  and  girls  of  his  own 
age  ;  but  while  he  did  not  shun  such  company,  his  greatest 
delight  was  to  meet  men  of  a  studious  or  artistic  turn  of 
mind.  He  made  the  acquaintance  of  Charles  Bonnet,  the 
naturalist  and  philosopher,  who  had  a  villa  on  the  Leman ; 
of  H.  Benedict  de  Saussure  (who  had  a  house  on  the 
banks  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva),  well  known  for  his  philo- 
sophical researches  and  still  remembered  as  the  author  of 
"  Voyages  dans  les  Alpes" ;  and  the  Hubers,  father  and 
son,  friends  of  Voltaire,  of  the  elder  of  whom  there  is  a 
spirited  and  amusing  sketch  in  one  of  the  following  letters. 
Madame  de  Stael  he  knew  before  her  marriage,  during 
the  lifetime  of  her  father.  "I  knew  Mdlle.  Neckar  at 
Coppet,  a  lovely  place  near  Geneva,  long,  very  long  ago," 
he  recalled  half  a  century  later.  "  She  preferred  the 
Chauss^  d'Antin  —  woman  in  her  inclinations,  she 
thought  like  a  man — wrote  like  a  man — ^luxuriated  in 
the  stagnant  vapours  of  a  large  capital,  where  she  played 
the  owl — she  loved  to  display  herself  by  waxlight. 
She  would  have  exchanged  her  fame  for  beauty. 
Her  figure  was  good — I  remember  her  a  very  sym- 
metrical young  lady,  who  might  have  sat,  as  the 
Princess  Borghese  did,  to  Canova,  and  made  a  respectable 
statue." 

His  acquaintance  with  these  people  gave  the  lad  much 
pleasure,  but  the  day  of  days  during  this  period  was  that 
on  which  he  was  taken  to  Ferney  to  see  Voltaire,  then  in 
the  eighty-fifth  and  last  year  of  his  life.  "  Voltaire  was  a 
mere  skeleton — a  living  anatomy,"  Beckford  said.  "  His 
countenance  I  shall  never  forget."  When  the  members  of 
the  party  were  introduced  to  him,  "  You  see,  gentlemen," 
he  said,  " '  un  pauvre  Octogenaire '  about  to  quit  the 
world."  For  a  few  minutes  he  conversed  on  general 
subjects,  and  then  dismissed  them  :  "  My  lords  and  gentle- 
men, many  thanks  for  your  visit.   Pray  take  some  refresh- 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


R 


By  permission  of  the  Duke  o/  Hamilton 


A  VISIT  TO  VOLTAIRE  27 

ment,  and  then,  if  it  will  amuse  you,  look  into  my  garden, 
and  give  me  leave  to  retire."  To  Beekford  he  paid  special 
attention,  speaking  to  him  in  a  complimentary  manner  of 
his  father,  and,  on  taking  leave  of  him,  placing  his  hand 
on  his  head,  saying,  "  There,  young  Englishman,  I  give 
you  the  blessing  of  a  very  old  man !  " 

In  June  1778,  with  Lettice,  Beekford  visited  the 
Grande  Chartreuse  and,  though  his  expectations  were 
great,  they  were  more  than  realised.  It  is  more  wonder- 
fully wild  than  I  can  describe,  or  even  you  can  imagine. 
It  has  possessed  me  to  such  a  degree  that  at  present  I 
can  neither  think,  speak,  nor  write  upon  any  other  subject." 
So  began  his  account  of  this  excursion,  which,  written  at 
the  time,  was  first  printed  five  years  later  in  "  Dreams, 
Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents."  Therein  was  published 
a  poem,  written  on  the  spot  and  inserted  by  the  author  in 
the  visitor's  book  of  the  monastery,  but  deleted  in  the 
revised  edition  of  the  work.  I  had  forgotten  it,"  he 
said  in  later  life.  "  It  is  not  very  poetical.  I  suppose  there 
never  was  a  finer  field  for  poetry — a  more  striking  scene. 
I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  its  grand  solitude.  The 
brethren,  too,  were  excellent  people — not  one  now  survives 
whom  I  saw — death  has  swept  them  all  away."  The 
lines  may  be  given  as  a  curiosity  : 

To  orisons,  the  midnight  bell 
Had  toU'd  each  silent  inmate  from  his  cell ; 

The  hour  was  come  to  muse  or  pray, 
Or  work  mysterious  rites  that  shun  the  day  : 

My  steps  some  whisp'ring  influence  led. 
Up  to  yon  pine-clad  mountain's  gloomy  head  : 

Hollow  and  deep  the  gust  did  blow. 
And  torrents  dart'd  into  the  vales  below. 

At  length  the  toilsome  height  attain' d. 
Quick  fled  the  moon,  and  sudden  stillness  reign'd. 

As  fearful  turn'd  my  searching  eye, 
Glanc'd  near  a  shadowy  form,  and  fleeted  by ; 

Anon,  before  me  full  it  stood : 
A  saintly  figure,  pale,  in  pensive  mood. 

Damp  horror  thrill'd  me  till  he  spoke, 
And  accents  faint  the  charm-bound  silence  broke  : 

"  Long,  trav'ller  !  ere  this  region  near. 
Say,  did  not  whisperings  strange  arrest  thine  ear  ? 


28  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

My  summons  'twas  to  bid  thee  come, 
Where  sole  the  friend  of  Nature  loves  to  roam. 

Ages  long  past,  this  drear  abode 
To  solitude  I  sanctified,  and  God : 

'Twas  here  by  love  of  Wisdom  brought. 
Her  truest  love,  Self-knowledge,  first  I  sought ; 

Devoted  here  my  worldly  wealth, 
To  win  my  chosen  sons  immortal  health. 

Midst  these  dun  woods  and  mountains  steep. 
Midst  wild  horrors  of  yon  desert  deep. 

Midst  yawning  caverns,  wat'ry  dells. 
Midst  long,  sequestered  aisles,  and  peaceful  cells, 

No  passions  fell  distract  the  mind, 
To  Nature,  Silence,  and  Herself  consigned. 

In  these  still  mansions  who  shall  bide, 
'Tis  mine,  with  Heaven's  appointment,  to  decide; 

But,  hither,  I  invite  not  all : 
Some  want  the  will  to  come,  and  more  the  call ; 

But  all,  mark  well  my  parting  voice  ! 
Led,  or  by  chance,  necessity,  or  choice 

(Ah  !  with  our  Genius  dread  to  sport), 
Sage  lessons  here  may  learn  of  high  import. 

Know  !    Silence  is  the  nurse  of  Truth  ; 
Know  1    Temp'rance  long  retards  the  flight  of  Youth  ; 

Learn  here  how  penitence  and  pray'r 
Man's  fallen  race  for  happier  worlds  prepare ; 

Learn  mild  demeanour,  void  of  art. 
And  bear,  amidst  the  world,  the  hermit's  heart ; 

Fix,  trav'ller  !  deep  this  heaven- taught  lore  : 
Know  Bruno  brings  it,  and  returns  no  more." 

(Half  sighed,  half  smiled  his  long  farewell). 
He  turn'd,  and  vanish'd  in  the  bright' ning  dell. 

The  following  letters,  now  printed  for  the  first  time, 
are  [astonishing  productions  for  a  lad  of  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years  of  age.  They  show  a  deep  love  and  keen 
appreciation  of  nature,  and,  even  if  some  passages  are 
flecked  with  affectations  not  unnatural  to  a  young  man 
wielding  a  maiden  pen,  taken  as  a  whole  they  show  the 
writer  [as  possessed  of  a  vivid  imagination  born  doubtless 
of  the  solitary  musings  to  which  reference  is  frequently 
made,  and  betray  a  command  of  language  and  of  poetical 
description  in  which  may  be  discerned  the  literary  qualities 
of  his  subsequent  writings.  In  the  numerous  allusions  to 
characters  in  Oriental  tales  may  be  discerned  the  germs  of 
"  Vathek,"  and  in  his  determination  (stated  very  explicitly 
in  the  letter  dated  October  3,  1777)  not  to  become  the 


THUN 


29 


ordinary  well-to-do,  idling  man  about  town,  may  be  seen 
the  first  idea  that  drew  him  to  be  author,  collector, 
eccentric — anything  but  the  frivolous  butterfly  of  fashion. 

Thun,  September  12th,  1777. 

It  will  be  the  full  of  the  Moon  this  Night  and  I  have 
a  strong  inclination  to  attain  the  summit  of  that  huge 
mass  of  Rocks  which  form  the  Mountain  of  Saleve.  Those 
distant  thickets,  those  dark  forests  of  tall  pines  tempt  me 
to  walk  amongst  them.  You  will  accompany  me  perhaps  ? 
Do  you  not  long  to  tread  the  brow  of  that  projecting 
fragment  ?  Absolutely  we  must  follow  the  course  of  that 
steep  path,  tho'  indeed  it  seems  only  the  province  of  Goats, 
neither  Horse  nor  Mule  can  attempt  such  treacherous 
Road.  However,  we  can  leave  our  Hacknies  at  the 
Grove  of  Chesnut  Trees  and  make  the  best  of  our  way  by 
clambering.  It  is  rather  late  to  be  sure ;  but  I  hope  you 
never  look  at  your  watch — Nay,  do  not  ask  where  the 
Chesnut  Grove  is  or  how  far  off.  I  tell  you  it  is  at  the 
foot  of  the  Mountain. 

Suppose  us  mounted  and  proceeding  along  a  Road 
bordered  by  Hillocks  and  slopes  clad  with  Vineyards  and 
intermixed  with  old  Walnut  Trees  of  the  most  glossy 
green.  This  Road  soon  brings  us  to  the  Banks  of  the 
Arve  which  pursues  its  course  between  a  narrow  channel 
of  steeps  with  uncommon  Rapidity.  The  Sun  declines 
apace  and  those  Valleys  at  the  foot  of  Saleve  begin  to 
receive  the  mellow  Tints  of  the  Evening.  Let  us  hasten 
forward  or  we  shall  miss  the  Sunset  from  the  promon- 
tories we  ogled  from  Thun.  What  an  abominable  Bridge  ! 
Never  in  my  Life  did  I  behold  so  crazy  a  composition. 
We  must  unlight  and  lead  our  Horses.  Hark,  what  a  ram- 
bhng  amongst  the  planks  echoed  by  the  cove  !  The  trotting 
of  my  poor  sober  Mare  becomes  as  stately  as  the  paces  of 
three  managed  Horses  moderately  speaking.  A  very  good 
Mountain  Bridge  !  I  dare  say  none  but  such  as  us  would 
admire  its  imperfections.  A  Forest  of  Ancient  Chesnut 
Trees  whose  tattered  branches  dangle  over  some  steep 
Banks  affords  us,  however,  a  tolerable  path  over  hung  by 
Hazels,  Vines,  Barberries,  and  Laburnums  that  screen  the 
prospect  of  the  Glaciers  and  those  distant  peaks  which 
you  were  so  much  delighted  with  a  moment  ago ; 


30  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


but  look,  a  glimmer  of  sunshine  at  the  end  of  that 
long  alley,  where  the  perspective  meets,  seems  to  indicate 
an  open  space — Let  us  emerge — What  a  Mountain 
Side! 


From  the  Summit  of  the  Mountain  of  Saleve 

9.  O'clock  Sept.  13th  1777. 

From  whence  do  you  think  I  date  this  Letter?  Not  from 
a  neat  precise  Study,  with  a  mahogany  inlaid  table,  nicely 
lined  with  baze  and  placed  in  a  central  situation,  having 
two  Quires  of  gilt  paper  on  my  right  hand,  a  silver  ink- 
stand at  my  elbow,  an  almanack  in  a  superb  case,  pens, 
pounce,  wafers,  dutch  wax  and  all  other  implements,  in 
abundance.  Not  one  of  these  Circumstances.  On  the 
Summit  of  a  lofty  Mountain,  I  gaze  at  an  Assemblage 
of  substantial  Vapours,  which  hover  above,  beneath  and 
around  me.  This  very  sheet  of  paper  which,  barring 
accidents,  I  trust  you  will  receive,  is  cast  carelessly  on  a 
rugged  fragment,  mouldered  from  the  peak  of  the  Moun- 
tain, or  torn  from  the  bosom  of  its  native  Rock,  by  the 
Hand  of  an  ancient  Helvetian  in  defence  of  his  Liberty. 
A  Cot  awkwardly  put  together  just  screens  my  head  from 
the  Wet  Vapour,  which  seems  to  have  fixed  its  Residence 
on  these  extensive  Eminences.  A  flock  of  Goats,  and  a 
peasant,  that  looks  as  if  he  descended  from  Pan  in  a  right 
line,  stare  at  me  with  all  their  Eyes  and  all  their  Horns. 
Full  five  Hours  have  I  waited  the  dissipation  of  this  fog ; 
but  hark  !  a  sullen  rustling  amongst  the  Forests  far  below 
which  are  intirely  concealed  by  mists,  proclaims  that  the 
North  Wind  is  arisen.  Look !  the  blasts  begin  to  range 
thro'  the  Atmosphere  !  what  majesty  in  those  Volumes  of 
gray  cloud  that  sweep  along,  directing  their  course  East- 
ward !  Mark !  they  are  succeeded  by  curling  Volumes  of 
blueish  grey,  like  the  smoke  of  a  declining  Volcano. 
How  gently  they  bend  and  then  fly  downwards  in  a  misty 
haze.  What  are  those  objects  just  emerging?  horrid 
forms,  like  crucified  Malefactors,  start  from  the  gloom, 
another  blast  discovers  them  in  the  Shape  of  weather 
beaten  Oaks,  whose  fantastic  branches  have  stood  the 
brunt  of  Tempests  for  ages.  A  gleam  of  pale  yellow  light 
mellows  the  white  surface  of  the  boundless  Cloud  ;  before 
my  Eyes  it  gives  way;  it  seems  to  rock,  it  opens  and 


MOUNT  SALEVE 


31 


discloses  a  long  line  of  distant  Alps ;  but  another  cloud 
fleets  from  the  North  and  closes  the  faint  glimpse,  which 
waves  a  moment  and  again  opening,  not  only  the  Alps, 
but  the  Summits  of  the  Woods  appear.  The  Sun 
struggles  with  the  vapours,  the  clouds  chase  one  another ; 
the  white  cloud  so  universal  a  moment  ago  is  broken,  it 
fleets,  it  dissipates  ;  the  Beams  pierce  the  vapours  on 
every  side ;  long  streaks  of  azure  sky,  partial  prospects  open 
like  an  Heaven  ;  Rivers  and  extensive  Regions  all  unfold ; 
my  senses  are  confounded,  I  know  not  where  to  fix  my 
sight.  See  !  the  Lake  appears,  in  all  its  azure  glory.  A 
boundless  scene  is  unveiled,  the  creation  of  an  instant. 
Objects  crowd  too  swiftly  for  me  to  continue,  I  must 
abandon  my  pen  and  gaze.  Five  hours  are  elapsed  !  Hours 
of  wonder  and  gratitude  !  I  have  been  steeped  in  those 
sensations  which  arise  from  the  contemplation  of  the  great 
objects  of  Nature. 

7.  o'clock  Eve  :  The  mellow  tints  of  the  Evening  begin 
to  prevail.  I  shall  wait  the  Moon  ere  I  descend  the 
Mountain — Half  past  8. — Night  draws  on,  the  stars  glow 
in  the  firmament.  From  the  promontory  of  a  Rock  I 
overlook  a  vast  extent  of  inhabited  Country — the  lights 
glimmer  in  a  thousand  Houses  like  the  reflection  of  the 
Stars — The  Moon  appears — Farewell,  I  must  descend  the 
Mountain. 

Thun,  Oct  3rd  1777. 

To  receive  Visits  and  to  return  them,  to  be  mighty 
civil,  well-bred,  quiet,  prettily  Dressed  and  smart  is  to  be 
what  your  old  Ladies  call  in  England  a  charming  Gentle- 
man and  what  those  of  the  same  stamps  abroad  know  by 
the  appellation  of  U7i  homme  comme  il  faut.  Such  an 
Animal  how  often  am  I  doomed  to  be !  To  pay  and 
to  receive  fulsome  Compliments  from  the  Learned,  to 
talk  with  modesty  and  precision,  to  sport  an  opinion 
gracefully,  to  adore  Buflbn  and  d'Alembert,  to  delight  in 
Mathematics,  logick.  Geometry  and  the  rule  of  Right,  the 
mal  morale  and,  the  mal  physique,  to  despise  poetry  and 
venerable  Antiquity,  murder  Taste,  abhor  imagination, 
detest  all  the  charms  of  Eloquence  unless  capable  of 
mathematical  Demonstration,  and  more  than  all  to  be 
vigourously  incredulous,  is  to  gain  the  reputation  of  good 
sound  Sense.    Such  an  Animal  I  am  sometimes  doomed 


32  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

to  be !  To  glory  in  Horses,  to  know  how  to  knock  up 
and  how  to  cure  them,  to  smell  of  the  stable,  swear,  talk 
bawdy,  eat  roast  beef,  drink,  speak  bad  French,  go  to 
Lyons,  and  come  back  again  with  manly  disorders,  are 
qualifications  not  despicable  in  the  Eyes  of  the  English 
here.  Such  an  Animal  I  am  determined  not  to  be! — 
Were  I  not  to  hear  from  you  sometimes,  to  see  a  Genius 
or  two  sometimes,  to  go  to  Voltaire's  sometimes  and  to 
the  Mountains  very  often,  I  should  die — The  Moun- 
tain from  whose  summit  I  wrote  my  last  letter,  is  my 
chief  comfort,  and  I  resort  to  it  once  every  Fortnight. 
It  consists  of  two  huge  masses  of  Rock,  separated  by  a 
chasm,  the  one  called  the  Great,  the  other  the  Little 
Saleve.  No  sooner  do  I  reach  the  Summit  than  I  leap 
off  my  Horse  and  spring  into  a  Valley  concealed  as  it 
were  in  the  Bosom  of  the  Mountain.  There,  two 
stupendous  Rocks  present  an  uninterrupted  Range  of 
Cliffs  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  Mile,  and  the  Vale  between 
is  formed  by  a  smooth  Lawn  nicely  fitted  by  the  hand  of 
Nature  into  every  crevice.  The  opening  at  the  farther  end 
discovers  a  plain,  at  the  foot  of  the  precipice,  quite  even 
for  the  space  of  15  Leagues  and  level  all  the  way  with 
the  Lake,  that  together  with  a  chain  of  Azure  Mountains 
terminates  the  vast  Horizon.  How  you  would  delight  in 
the  Stillness  of  this  Valley.  I  think  I  behold  you  charmed 
with  hearing  nothing  but  the  trickling  of  a  small  Rill  that 
oozes  out  of  the  Rock,  quite  an  Hermit's  Spring,  not  large 
enough  for  wild  Asses  to  lap — Then  the  fresh  Under- 
wood that  extends  on  the  right  of  the  Dell  under  the  lofty 
Cliffs  would  please  you  beyond  expression ;  so  green,  so 
flourishing  and  mellowed  by  the  gleams  of  the  setting 
Sun.  Lifted  high  above  the  Multitudes  that  swarm  in 
the  Plain,  in  a  situation  as  placid  as  the  present  tone  of 
my  mind,  I  am  thinking  of  England,  recollecting  all  that 
has  happened  to  me  and  remembering  a  thousand  little 
circumstances  about  those  that  are  absent  and  those  that 
are  no  more.  Next  I  am  filled  with  Futurity.  That 
Aweful  Idea  is  attended  by  mystery  and  sublimity — 
They  make  me  tremble.  What  will  be  my  Life  ?  what 
misfortunes  lurk  in  wait  for  me  ?  what  Glory  ?  This  is 
the  third  time  I  have  mused  in  this  Valley  at  the  hour  of 
Sunset.  To-day  it  is  wonderfully  clear,  not  a  cloud 
darkens  the  boundless  Range  of  my  Prospect.  Some 


THUN 


33 


pebbles  fall  from  the  Rock.  To  it  a  Goat,  no. — Two 
peasants  descend  from  the  Mountain  where  they  have  been 
felling  the  Fir-trees  that  grow  under  the  topmost  Peak. 
How  exact  these  people  are.  Every  time  I  have  been 
here  they  have  seen  me  at  the  same  hour  and  I  them. 
Were  they  poetical  (which  however  is  far  from  being  their 
ease)  you  would  hear  them  say. 

Him  have  we  seen  the  greenwood  side  along. 
While  o'er  the  Vale  we  hied^  our  labour  done. 
Oft  as  the  Woodlark  piped  her  farewell  Song 
With  wistful  Eyes  pursue  the  setting  Sun. 

A  certain  haze  on  the  Lake  denotes  the  close  of  day  and 
a  grey  twilight  begins  to  tarnish  the  clear  transparence 
of  the  Skies.  My  thoughts  are  serene  and  tranquil.  I 
regard  the  mild  track  of  light  where  the  Sun  lost  itself. 
Have  you  never  wished  to  journey  to  the  other  Hemi- 
sphere with  the  Solar  Orb  ? — The  twilight  gradually 
sinks  into  entire  darkness.  I  see  a  feeble  light  at  a 
distance,  it  passes  thro'  the  dark  thickets  of  Juniper,  now 
it  glimmers  in  the  spring,  and  now  it  passes  under  the 
cove.  Wicked  deeds  have  been  perpetrated  in  this 
valley  many  ages  ago  in  the  dark  feudal  Times ;  those 
years  of  Tyranny  and  Oppression.  Yon  taper  is  melan- 
cholly,  were  I  superstitious  I  should  fear  the  approach  of 
something  supernatural.  ...  It  comes  nearer  and  nearer. 
The  illusion  is  vanished  and  I  see  my  good  Friend  the 
Village  Priest  and  his  attendant  walking  forwards  with 
lights  to  conduct  me  to  their  habitation.  I  follow  them. 
We  pass  thro'  a  wilderness  of  Shrubs  that  flourish  in  the 
rocky  Soil  and  are  obliged  to  go  cautiously  step  by  step, 
on  account  of  the  stumps  of  Oaks  felled  many  Winters 
ago  and  the  brambles  that  cleave  round  the  stalks  of  the 
Fir  tree.  At  length  we  arrive  at  the  Village.  A  blazing 
fire  marks  out  the  Cure's  house.  It  proceeds  from  the 
Appartment  he  has  designed  for  me.  I  imagine  a  sort  of 
Barn,  wainscoted  rudely  with  walnut,  the  floor  covered, 
however,  with  a  tolerable  matting  of  straw,  the  cieling 
grossly  sculptured  and  almost  hid  by  quantities  of  Herb 
hung  up  to  dry.  Suppose  a  chimbney  wide  as  the  mouth 
of  a  whale.  Fancy  you  hear  the  crackling  of  a  dozen 
Billets  of  deal  distilling  rich  turpentine  and  suppose  you 
see  a  crucifix  and  a  few  ancient  map  Books  on  a  shelf 

c 


84 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


above.  Observe  the  portraits  of  some  rueful  JNIartyrs  and 
altogether  you  will  conceive  an  idea  of  the  Iloom  in  one 
corner  of  which  (I  had  forgot  the  most  essential  Article) 
you  would  not  overlook  a  most  exceeding  high  Bed,  that 
formerly  had  been  hung  with  Curtains,  as  you  would  judge 
from  a  few  tatters  that  dangle  from  an  iron  rod.  Our 
Supper,  which  was  composed  of  Fish,  Eggs  and  Herbs,  was 
brought  in  by  the  same  peasant  that  hghted  us  home,  and 
w^hilst  Ave  were  eating  it  the  priest  began  a  conversation 
about  Heresy,  in  which  I  joined  so  emphatically  as  to 
make  him  believe  he  had  a  zealous  Catholic  for  his  Guest. 
What  would  I  not  give  if  you  had  been  within  hearing  of 
the  dismal  tales  he  told  of  the  Death  of  Unbelievers  and 
those  which  Lucifer  in  the  shape  of  Luther  and  Calvin 
had  turned  from  the  paths  of  Life.  After  exhausting  this 
topic  we  fell  heartily  to  relating  Miracles  and  from  that 
subject  to  Apparitions,  Spectres,  Goblins,  Sorcerers,  etc., 
till  we  both  became  frightened  and  did  not  continue  our 
Stories,  wdthout  many  a  Look  behind  above  and  about  us. 
In  this  situation  the  Cure  left  me,  as  it  was  growing  very 
late,  and  wonderful  to  tell,  I  was  haunted  by  Bats  instead 
of  the  Devil ;  but  upon  the  whole  contrived  to  sleep 
tolerably  till  8  o'clock  next  morning  when  I  mounted  my 
Horse,  took  leave  of  the  priest,  descended  the  Mountain 
and  arrived  in  3  hours  at  Thun. 


Thun,  Oct.  6th,  1777. 
I  am  indeed  in  a  lovely  Solitude.  Our  House  is  not 
large ;  but  it  has  thick  Walls  and  odd  Windows  that 
give  it  an  antique  Air  I  am  fond  of :  besides,  every  piece 
of  Furniture  glistens  with  cleanliness.  The  Garden  bears 
many  a  stately  Sunflower  and  a  profusion  of  Jessamine 
and  is  encircled  by  a  Wood  that  shades  two  Rivulets 
which  descend  from  the  Mountains  and  gurgle  in  my 
retreat.  Many  a  Day  have  I  sat  and  mused  on  their 
rushy  Brinks ;  when  the  Evening  begins  to  close,  started 
up  running  wildly  across  the  Thickets,  dropped  down 
again  in  a  Meadow  that  covers  the  side  of  an  Hillock, 
fronting  the  Mountain  of  Saleve,  that  Mountain !  where 
I  have  spent  so  many  Delightful,  solitary  Hours  in 
thinking  of  you  and  all  those  that  are  worth  thinking 
of. 


GENEVA 


35 


Geneva,  Nov.  9.1st  [1777]. 

The  North  wind  prevails  this  Evening,  the  Gusts  are 
bleak  and  raw,  I  will  indulge  the  melancholly  that  has 
seized  me  and  walk  in  the  dusk  of  the  twilight  on  the 
shore  of  the  Lake.  The  vast  Waters  are  troubled  and  the 
waves  rush  furiously  on  the  Beach.  How  green  are  those 
Waves  that  course  one  another  from  afar  off.  Mark  the 
stream  of  Light  that  skirts  the  Western  Horizon.  It 
easts  a  pale  yellow  gleam  over  the  foaming  surface  of  the 
Lake.  Dark  Clouds  roll  from  the  North  and  bring  on  the 
Night.  I  see  lights  at  a  distance  moving  towards  the 
City  ;  perhaps  some  one  is  there,  who  will  direct  me  to 
the  Gate.  I  call  .  .  .  ;  but  the  bellowing  of  the  tide 
deadens  my  Voice.  I  am  alone  on  the  Shore  .  .  .  dread 
is  my  situation.  .  .  .  The  blasts  increase  and  wistle  dis- 
mally in  my  ears.  I  shudder.  .  .  .  What  shriek  was 
that  ? — no  Bird  is  on  the  wing  !  .  .  .  I  must  hasten 
home,  and  yet  such  is  the  darkness  that  I  may  wander  for 
hours  and  not  find  the  path  that  leads  to  the  Gate  next 
the  port.  I  tremble,  and  of  what  am  I  afraid? — ah! 
too  well  I  know  what  means  those  shades,  for  surely  I 
beheld  something  flit  before  me  pale  as  the  Ashes  of  an 
Altar.  Something  roze  on  a  Wave  and  sighed.  See  it 
rears  itself  again  and  moans — it  moans. — O  how  am  I 
deceived  or  that  shade  wears  the  resemblance  of  one  that 
is  no  more  and  that  was  most  dear  to  me  .  .  .  cruel 
illusion.  Think,  another  wave  rose,  foamed  at  my  feet, 
cast  its  spray  on  high  and  offered  to  my  afirighted 
Imagination  a  form  like  yours. 

And  what  fatal  conclusion  must  I  draw.  You  have 
kept  me  a  sad  long  time  in  suspense,  not  a  line  have  I 
received  these  two  months.  Could  I  have  thought  you 
would  have  dealt  thus  with  me  ?  What !  not  one  notice 
of  your  having  received  the  last  effusions  of  my  fancy  ?  .  .  . 
You  are  neglectful  or  you  are  .  .  .  dreadful  thought  to 
one  who  esteems  you  like  me. 

Struck  to  the  heart  with  that  idea  I  ran  or  rather  flew 
to  the  City.  Chance  directed  me  to  the  Gate  just  as  it 
was  about  to  close  for  the  whole  Night.  I  hurried  thro' 
it  and  entered  our  House  (which  was  as  it  generally  is  full 
of  company)  scared  with  sorrow,  shivering  with  cold  and 
cursing  the  North  wind.    The  people  crowded  round  me. 


86 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


and  asked  me  where  I  had  been  ?  I  answered,  to  the 
Devil.  They  half  believed  me  from  my  air.  I  grew  peevish 
and  wished  them  there.  Then  they  fell  to  teazing  me 
to  play  at  cards,  complimenting  of  me  and  telling  me 
there  was  JNIonsieur  This  and  Madame  T'other  who  were 
come  in  purpose  to  hear  me  say  clever  things /onsoo^A.  I 
told  them  I  never  said  any  such  kind  of  things.  They 
replied, par do7inez-77ioi.  They  hoped  I  would  play  on  the 
pianoforte,  not  at  all,  I  never  touched  such  an  Instrument ; 
besides  my  fingers  were  frozen.  A  great  fat  bundlesome 
Lady  took  the  hint,  seized  and  dragged  me  to  the  stove, 
in  short  I  was  so  worried  that  I  whirled  out  of  the  Room, 
banged  the  Door,  ran  upstairs,  and  knocked  my  shins 
against  a  lean  Valet  de  Chambre  who  was  limping  up 
with  a  smoking  Turkey,  for  the  supper  of  those  Animals 
that  had  perplexed  me  so.  After  all  these  disasters  I 
jumped  into  Bed,  could  not  sleep;  but  listened  till  I 
heard  the  jovial  Crew  that  had  seized  me,  moving  off 
between  12  and  1,  thinking  me  mad  in  all  human 
probability.  At  length  I  fell  asleep :  my  dreams  were 
mournful.  The  shore  of  the  Lake  with  all  its  gloom 
hovered  before  my  fancy.    I  might  say  with  great  truth, 

It  was  a  dismal  and  a  fearful  Night, 
Scarce  could  the  Morn  drive  on  th'  unwilling  light 
When  Sleep,  Death's  Image,  left  my  troubled  breast, 

By  something  liker  Death  possessed. 
My  Eyes  with  tears  did  uncommanded  flow 

And  on  my  Soul  hung  the  dull  weight 

Of  some  intolerable  Fate. 

Do  these  Bodings  mean  anything?  If  you  felt  what  I 
do  (and  yet  you  do  feel  like  me  almost  universally)  you 
would  not  let  me  remain  in  so  woeful  an  uncertainty.  I 
am  not  happy  nor  shall  I  be  so  till  I  receive  a  pacquet 
from  you.  .  .  . 

[Geneva],  Nov,  2Uk  [1777]. 

I  was  walking  this  JMorning  in  a  meadow  near  the 
Gates  of  the  Town,  which  sloped  gently  to  the  margin  of 
the  Lake.  A  wood  glowing  with  all  the  variegated  Tints 
of  Autumn,  screened  the  view  of  the  City  from  my  eyes, 
which  were  anxiously  fixed  on  a  Road  by  which  arrive  all 
those  that  come  from  England.  At  a  distance  I  perceived 
one  approaching  with  tired  Horses  who,  alighting  before  an 


GENEVA 


37 


Inn  that  belongs  to  Dejean,  the  Father  of  the  Geneva 
Carrier,  made  me  think  it  was  the  person  who  brought 
with  him  the  pacquet  from  you.  It  was — judge  of  my 
pleasure  when  he  delivered  me  a  Roll  which,  upon  being 
unfolded,  discovered  the  august  visage  of  the  Genius  of  the 
Alps.  Every  feature  is  smoked  with  the  serenity  of  an 
inhabitant  of  the  upper  Regions.  Your  Letter,  breathing 
the  spirit  of  excellence  and  sending  forth  sparks  of  the 
sacred  fire  which  eternally  burns  on  the  Altar  of  Genius, 
filled  me  with  pleasing  Sensations  and  confirmed  me  in 
the  sincerity  of  your  Friendship.  The  Elegy  was  truly  in 
earnest.  It  was  written  immediately  after  receiving  some 
very  melancholly  news  ?  Not  a  circumstance  in  it  is 
exaggerated;  the  night  it  was  composed  agreed  perfectly 
in  gloom  and  darkness  with  the  State  of  my  Mind.  .  .  . 

Have  you  forgot  that  the  Duchess  of  Queensberry  died 
last  Summer  ?  .  .  .  Inform  me  what  part  of  my  writings 
you  read  to  Ld.  Morton  ? 

Could  I  have  imagined  any  person  so  penetrated  with 
the  same  rays  as  you  are  with  those  that  transfix  me  ? 
Strange,  very  strange,  that  such  a  perfect  conformity 
should  subsist.  All  your  Letters  were  deposited  in  a 
Drawer  lined  with  blue,  the  colour  of  the  Aether.  Reserve 
with  care  your  System  of  sentimental  Gardening,  the  time 
may  come  perhaps  when  we  shall  execute  it. 

Yes,  that  time  may  arrive  when  we  may  seek  the  green 
solitudes  and  roam  about  foreign  Mountains,  when  we 
may  sit  together  in  such  a  Valley  as  I  have  described  and 
gaze  at  the  last  gleams  of  departing  Day.  How  should  I 
delight  to  wander  with  you  thro'  remote  Forests  and  pitch 
our  Tents  by  Moonlight  in  a  Wilderness.  Then  would 
we  observe  the  Deer  bounding  over  the  Lawn  and  the 
Goats  frisking  on  the  margin  of  a  Stream  without  a  wish 
to  disturb  their  happiness. 

Neither  the  Gun,  the  Arrow  or  the  Net  should  be  in 
our  hands.  We  would  cultivate  some  pastures  and  in  the 
season  gather  ripe  Corn  sown  by  ourselves.  Every  week 
we  would  vary  our  abode  and  sleep  upon  Hills  in  the 
twilights  of  Midsummer,  there  to  catch  the  Dream  of 
inspiration  from  whence  to  presage  the  events  of  future 
Times. 

Every  plant  that  springs  from  the  Rock,  or  that  floats 
on  the  surface  of  the  Water  would  be  familiar  to  us,  nor 


/ 


38  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

would  the  virtues  of  Herbs  be  hidden  from  our  know- 
ledge. Why  might  we  not  penetrate  into  unknown 
Regions,  long  concealed  from  the  eye  of  Man  ?  Might 
we  not  arrive  in  new  Countries  by  following  the  course  of 
Rivers  and  tracing  them  thro'  all  their  windings  to  their 
Source  ?  Our  Barks  should  be  driven  by  the  current  of 
the  Stream ;  never  should  we  steer  them,  unless  we  heard 
Cataracts  roaring  from  afar.  Then  should  we  retire  into 
a  Bay  amongst  the  Spice  Groves  and,  felling  tall  Trees, 
form  a  fence  to  guard  us  from  the  Monsters  that  prowl 
nightly  in  the  Woods.  Thus  secured  we  would  visit  our 
Camels  and  the  attendants  of  our  journey.  These  we 
would  treat  gently  and  having  kindled  a  prodigious  Fire 
carouse  and  feast  around  its  blaze.  Perhaps  a  Nation  of 
Savages  would  spy  its  smoke  at  a  distance  and  might  say 
amongst  themselves,  No  marriage  is  celebrated  to-Night 
in  our  Nation,  nor  have  we  conquered  the  proud  Cato- 
quilqui  who  boast  their  lineage  from  the  Morning  Star. 
What  means  then  this  tinkling  of  Cymbals,  these  shouts 
of  exultation  and  yonder  sparks  that  indicate  a  triumphant 
Fire  ?  Let  every  Man  cast  his  Belt  over  his  Shoulder  and 
arm  himself  with  his  Sling.  Let  our  Women  follow  as 
near  as  our  Steps  are  distinguishable  and  let  not  the 
Maize  be  forgotten,  nor  full  Bowls  of  the  juice  of  the 
Saca.  One  of  those  who  watch  over  the  security  of  our 
repose  would  hear  the  fleet  of  a  multitude  descending 
the  Slopes  of  a  Savannah  in  the  silence  of  the  Night  and, 
sounding  his  shrill  Clarion,  rouse  us  from  our  Slumbers. 
Immediately  our  faithful  attendants  would  flock  to  our 
Tent  and  ranging  themselves  around  seize  their  Lances. 
Some  adding  fewel  to  the  burning  Embers  would  renew 
the  Flame  that,  gleaming  on  the  Slopes,  would  discover 
the  train  advancing  with  Solemnity.  Their  countenances 
are  not  ferocious,  should  I  say  to  you,  nor  has  their  deport- 
ment the  stride  of  Destruction.  I  will  order  the  casket  of 
Beads  to  be  opened  and  the  Chest  that  contains  imple- 
ments of  Iron.  Fritz  shall  show  them  their  Use.  By- 
laying  our  hands  on  our  hearts,  pointing  to  our  Lances 
cast  on  the  Ground,  oflering  the  freight  of  our  Camels  and 
humbling  ourselves  courteously  before  the  possessors  of  the 
Land,  the  Savages  might  also  cast  away  their  Slings  and 
retiring  to  the  right  and  left  give  place  to  the  Females 
bearing  the  Bowls  of  plenty.    You  then  perhaps  would 


GENEVA 


39 


take  your  Lute  and  make  sweet  harmony,  an  harmony 
breathing  benevolence  understood  even  by  the  rude  Tribes 
that  rove  from  Lake  to  Lake  and  from  Valley  to  Valley. 
Next  would  succeed  the  Dance,  the  clang  of  Instruments 
and  universal  joy.  Our  hearts  would  be  dilated  and  we 
should  join  in  the  wildest  expressions  of  our  feelings  ;  but 
to  whom  am  I  exposing  these  romantic  Ideas  of  living  in 
Tents  upon  the  produce  of  the  Earth  and  straying  thro' 
such  tracks  of  Woodlands  ?  Am  I  addressing  myself  to  a 
Spirit  that  catches  fire  at  my  own  Enthusiasm  ?  If  there 
exists  one  that  would  partake  such  a  wild  excursion 
it  is  yours — Come  then  and  explore  with  me  the  polar 
Climates  of  the  western  Continent ;  but  can  you,  after 
having  experienced  the  Southern  Warmth,  after  rioting  in 
the  luxuriance  of  the  tropics,  advance  into  the  cold  North 
and  leave  behind  the  Sun  of  Vegetation  ?  Will  you  not 
shudder  when  the  last  Shrub  sinks  on  the  Horizon,  when 
you  find  yourself  following  the  track  of  the  Elk  over 
wastes  of  Snow :  the  Skies  streaming  with  the  angry 
colours  of  the  northern  Aurora  ?  Can  you  divest  yourself 
of  the  sublime  horror  which  overwhelms  you  on  first 
beholding  this  mysterious  Light  and,  delivered  up  to  all 
the  Solitude  and  silence  of  the  Pole,  dare  calmly  to  pry 
into  its  cause  ?  Shall  we  with  Halley  regard  it  as  the 
effect  of  magnetism,  with  Meyer  and  Rowning  kindle  an 
assemblage  of  exhalations  or  with  Meron  call  down  light 
from  the  fixed  Stars  ?  And  when  we  had  thus  pursued 
Nature  till  she  was  almost  extinguished,  might  we  not 
fancy  ourselves  approaching  the  Country  of  Odin  and 
think  we  distinguished  thro'  the  Mist  of  Blood  that  fills 
the  Horizon,  his  Ministers,  the  Gigantic  Valkyriur  shoot- 
ing along  with  the  Souls  of  the  Brave  to  his  Valhalla  ? 

If  you  wish  to  be  further  acquainted  with  the  Valkyriur 
read  Gray's  Ode  called  The  Fatal  Sisters  and  notice  par- 
ticularly the  remarks  upon  it  in  Mason's  Edition :  then 
you  will  observe  that  these  Personages  were  enough  to 
scare  the  Devil  without  a  mist  of  blood. 

Should  you  be  willing  to  familiarise  yourself  with 
the  Valhalla  I  must  refer  you  to  a  Book  published  in 
1770  entitled  Northern  Antiquities.  It  is  a  translation 
from  the  French  of  Professor  Mallet  with  whom  I  am 
very  intimate  and  to  whom  I  talk  of  you  and  the 
Valkyriur  alternately  ;  but,  in  case  you  should  not  meet 


40  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


with  these  Antiquities  in  a  hurry,  I  may  as  well  tell  you 
that  the  Valhalla  is  the  Hall  or  Paradise  of  Odin  spark- 
ling with  Lamps  and  adorned  with  Buffets  that  are 
garnished  with  Skulls  out  of  which  the  Souls  of  Heroes 
drink.  I  must  forget  neither  a  curious  Circumstance 
which  is,  that  [while]  these  poor  Souls  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  hacking  one  another  to  pieces  every  day  and  every 
Night,  they  have  the  pleasure  of  finding  themselves  all 
whole  and  sound  again  ;  and,  having  got  an  excellent 
appetite  by  killing  one  another,  sit  down  amicably  and 
sociably  to  smoking,  roasted  Boars  which  are  constantly 
served  up  by  young  smirking  Damsels  who  put  about  the 
Skulls  and  fill  them  with  entire  Butt-Beer  as  often  as 
ever  they  call  for  it.  Are  not  these  rare  pleasant  Ideas 
and  worth  dying  to  realise  ?  .  .  . 

I  have  but  a  very  scanty  portion  of  my  time  to  write  my 
Centrical  (?)  History,  so  numerous  are  my  Aquaintance, 
most  of  them — Heaven  knows — how  different  from  us ! 
Delivered  up  to  a  Sword,  Bag  and  pretty  Cloathes,  I 
am  obliged  to  go  dangling  about  to  assemblies  of  sweet 
dear,  prim  tulipy  variegated  Creatures,  oppressed  with 
powder  and  pomatum,  and  tired  with  the  lisping  nonsense 
I  hear  all  around  me.  Fifty  times  have  I  wished  myself 
amongst  all  the  Bears  of  the  Pole.  At  home  I  am 
infested  with  a  species  which,  like  mathematical  points, 
have  neither  parts  nor  magnitude — Alas  fat  Bulls  of 
Basan  encompass  me  around. — Tubs  upon  two  legs, 
crammed  with  Stupidity,  amble  about  me.  Some  of  them 
mere  trivets  and  Footstools,  supple,  pliant,  and  com- 
plaisant ;  others  people  of  good  sound  sense  and  solid 
Aquirements. 

I  love  to  bark  a  tough  Understanding,  it  is  much 
better  than  to  be  always  peeling  Willows — Nothing 
then  gives  me  more  pleasure  than  a  good  mouthing  Dis- 
pute with  such  as  these. 

[Geneva],  Be.  Wh,  1777. 

And  so  we  have  had  a  report  of  plague,  pestilence  and 
Famine,  the  Gates  guarded  and  the  Devil  to  pay  at 
Geneva.  All  old  women  and  such  like  in  a  fluster.  The 
end  of  the  world  denounced  in  form  ;  for  the  infection 
was  brought  by  a  Jew.  Who  could  he  be  but  the  Anti- 
christ ?  Do  not  the  Wars  in  America  savour  of  this 
period  in  the  bargain  ?    Something  red  was  seen  on  the 


GENEVA 


41 


Mont-blanc  yesterday  Evening ;  pray  what  could  that  be 
but  the  scarlet  Whore  of  Babylon  ?  And  a  great  noise 
was  heard  last  Night  ay  ay — nothing  less  than  the  gallop- 
ping  of  the  Beasts  in  the  Apocalypse — to  be  sure  les 
Betes  curieuses  du  Bon  Dieu  as  the  impious  call  them. 

Be.  22nd. 

Our  prophesies  are  averted  and  the  end  of  the  World 
deferred  to  another  opportunity. 

Geneva,  De.  25th,  1777, 
What  may  very  well  be  called  a  Dedication. 

You  ought  to  be  extremely  cautious  to  whom  you 
show  the  long  Story,  for  certain  1  am  the  greatest  number 
of  readers  would  despise,  ridicule  or  make  neither  head 
nor  Tail  of  it.  They  would  probably  exclaim — what  can 
these  high  flown  descriptions  of  Grottos  and  Glittering 
Forms  and  Beings  and  Bramins  mean!  and  the  Dwarfs 
too — a  charming  set  of  little  Fellows  who  to  use  a  New- 
market expression  are  literally  got  down  in  the  DeviTs 
Ditch  and  nowhere. 

All  that  concerns  the  Sanctuary  is  too  solemn  and 
sacred  to  be  prophaned.  The  subject  is  very  grave  and 
serious.  When  I  reflect  that  you  see  and  feel  the  Scenes 
and  the  actions  I  describe,  their  being  concealed  from  eyes 
in  general  does  not  at  all  concern  me.  It  is  to  you  then 
that  I  deliver  up  my  work,  and  it  is  in  your  Bosom  that  I 
deposite  it.  .  .  .  Your  approbation  is  to  me  the  approba- 
tion of  a  Multitude.  It  is  all  I  desire  and  all  I  seek  for 
in  venturing  to  commit  to  writing  the  inspirations  of  my 
Fancy,  those  pleasing  Dreams  in  which  perhaps  consist 
the  happiest  moments  of  the  Life  of 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey 

[Undated.^ 

I  have  spent  few  minutes  more  agreeably  than  in  read- 
ing your  charming  Letter,  my  dear  Sister.  You  have 
transported  me  to  P.  Charles's  Palace.  I  mounted  with 
you  the  white  marble  staircase  entered  the  eating  room, 
and  admired  the  Death  of  Seneca  you  pointed  out. 
You  would  not  stay  long  to  examine  the  profusion  of 


42  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Pictures  that  covered  the  Room,  so  I  followed  you  thro 
the  Suite  of  Apartments  remarkable  for  the  richness  of 
their  Furniture,  crossed  the  Dome  and  traversing  the  long 
narrow  passage  on  which  I  bestowed  but  little  attention 
ascended  the  Staircase  which  brought  me  to  the  Gallery 
decorated  with  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  China  in 
Europe.  My  Sight  was  dazzled  and  perplexed  with  the 
variety  of  Vases,  pagodas  and  paralitic  mandarins  that 
quivered  on  every  side,  all  glowing  with  gold  purple  and 
every  gorgeous  colour.  I  was  just  beginning  a  disserta- 
tion upon  the  splendour  of  the  Chinese  Palaces,  the  pomp 
of  their  processions  and  the  grotesque  wildness  of  their 
imaginations,  when  you  desired  me  in  the  name  of  Taste 
to  forbear  and  cried  out.  For  God's  Sake,  William,  leave  the 
contemplation  of  plates  and  dishes,  what  will  people  think 
if  these  are  the  objects  that  chiefly  attract  your  attention  ; 
besides  it  grows  late  and  we  have  really  no  time  to  lavish 
upon  a  Teapot  or  to  waste  on  the  inspection  of  a  squalling 
Top.  I  very  reluctantly  moved  ofl*  from  the  Pillars  of 
Porcelain  and  could  not  help  stopping  again  to  examine  a 
huge  vase 

Where  China's  gayest  art  had  dyed  the  azure  flowers  that  grow. 

At  last  to  your  great  joy  we  got  out  of  the  Gallery,  and 
a  change  of  scene  delivered  you  from  the  legendary  tales 
I  was  beginning  to  relate  about  the  Japanese  Idols.  The 
awful  name  of  Quandacaendono  was  half  out  of  my  mouth 
when  the  instruments  in  P[rince]  C[harles]'s  Bedchamber, 
and  the  view  discovered  from  his  windows  diverted  my 
attention;  but  this  calm  was  of  short  duration  for 
upon  the  opening  of  a  door  which  discovered  a  very 
brilliant  cabinet,  the  Chinese  rage  got  uppermost 
and  you  thought  I  should  expose  myself  again  by 
the  ardour  and  vehemence  with  which  I  praised  the 
room,  running  now  to  one  group  of  hideous  images 
and  then  to  another  exclaiming  all  the  while.  There's 
your  Japan  of  the  true  rain,  look  at  the  delightful 
strange  form  of  these  artificial  Rocks  that  bulge  out  of 
the  panels,  only  see  that  dear  mimping  creature  that  fans 
herself  on  the  side  of  a  Lake  covered  with  water  flowers. 
Surely  she  is  one  of  the  ten  Princesses  that  trim  the 
hallowed  whiskers  of  the  sacred  Dairo.  Look,  Sister,  that 
great  spreading  bush  is  loaded  with  the  fruit  of  the 


GENEVA 


43 


Mihisho  that  flourishes  near  the  Plains  of  Nagasaki, 
these  corpulent  reptiles  that  I  confess  look  a  little  like 
toads  are  the  Quoohucachi  that  hop  in  the  profound 
fosses  of  the  Castle  of  Azuchiyama.  These  blossoms  I 
take  to  belong  to  the  Mokurege  or  Molylm  wha  or  at 
farthest  the  Oudonge.  In  vain  would  you  beseech  me 
to  defer  all  this  out  of  the  way  learning  for  another  time, 
in  vain  would  you  intreat  me  to  check  the  career  of  such 
contemptible  erudition.  Nothing  would  hinder  me  from 
making  eternal  digressions  about  the  Country  in  which 
these  ornaments  are  fabricated  and  talking  for  ever  about 
the  lofty  Mountains  of  Fukenzosama,  not  forgetting  the 
sixty  Convents  of  Bonzes  that  are  placed  on  its  brow,  with 
tedious  detail  of  all  the  gardens  amongst  which  they  are 
situated  and  the  cascades  that  tumble  from  the  Hocks 
into  the  Valley  below.  You  tried  to  make  me  observe 
the  Cabinet  in  general,  the  rich  effect  of  the  glasses,  the 
inlaid  floor,  the  ivory  house  and  in  short  the  tout 
ensemble ;  but  the  Japan  had  touched  that  spring  which 
never  fails  of  sending  me  to  China  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye,  so  the  same  subject  was  continued  all  the  way  thro' 
the  State  Rooms  and  the  Gold  Salle  de  Campagnio  whose 
elegant  gilding  and  stately  windows  I  scarce  deigned  to 
regard,  but  now  since  I  have  surveyed  the  whole  Palace 
and  am  at  present  got  out  into  the  open  air  again  the 
charm  is  broken,  the  illusion  dissolved,  all  the  splendid 
objects  vanished  and  I  find  myself  at  a  sad  distance  from 
you  in  one  of  the  Towers  of  the  lonely  Castle  of  de 
Pranyacis.  The  melancholy  Lake  under  my  windows  and 
the  Alps  extended  in  dreary  perspective  on  its  opposite 
shore.  When  1  first  cast  my  Eyes  on  the  last  part  of 
your  Letter  I  expected  to  find  an  elegant  delicate  figure 
represented  in  the  enclosed  paper  but  fancy  my  surprise 
when  it  disclosed  the  greasy  smirking  visage  of  my  Lady 
Lum.  She  is  in  every  feature  a  heavenly  creature,  so 
lovely  a  nose,  so  fair  a  chin  so  bewitching  smile  I  never 
beheld.  I  think  I  may  affirm  we  have  nothing  in  so 
superlative  a  style  at  Geneva.  I  continue  reading  Dante 
with  all  my  might  and  Ariosto  with  all  my  main :  but 
indeed  the  first  mentioned  poet  describes  such  tremendous 
objects  that  it  is  with  difficulty  that  1  can  dw^ell  upon 
them.  You  can  never  imagine  more  dreadful  scenes; 
livid  Lakes,  caverns  whose  craggs  and  roofs  are  hung 


44 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


with  Serpents  and  regions  where  hope  never  enters  is  the 
dismal  subject  of  the  finest  part  of  his  poem.  What  can 
be  more  dire  than  the  beginning  of  the  Canto 

Per  me  si  va  nella  citta  dolente  : 
Per  me  si  va  nell'  eterno  dolore  : 
Per  me  si  va  tra  la  perduta  gente. 

He  must  have  been  an  uncomfortable  wretch  to  have 
placed  some  of  the  best  people  that  ever  existed  in  this 
horrid  Gulph.  I  was  quite  sorry  to  meet  here  the  patri- 
archs for  whom  I  had  imbibed  such  veneration  and  to  find 
wandering  along  the  Dark  shores  of  the  River  of  Death,  the 
Spirits  of  Moses  and  David,  the  Man  after  God's  own  heart, 
but  our  Author's  mind  seems  to  have  been  tinchered  with 
the  blackest  superstition  and  been  badly  versed  in  theolo- 
gical matters  and  having  invited  all  the  Sculptor's  notions 
of  his  time  it  is  no  wonder  that  his  inferno  swarms  with  the 
noblest  love  that  ever  animated  human  form.  I  would  never 
advise  you  to  read  him  as  you  will  meet  with  nothing  but 
gloomy  ideas.  Indeed  you  know  one  of  the  most  striking 
and  most  horrible  cantos  where  C.  Ugolino's  Death  is  but 
too  excellently  described.  I  think  it  is  quite  time  to  leave 
Dante  and  all  his  horrors  far  behind  and  let  me  talk  to  you 
about  Petrarch.  He  is  melancholy  too,  but  pens  it  in  so 
gentle  and  so  amiable  manner  that  Ariosto  with  all  his 
sprightlyness  is  often  less  captivating.  What  Reflection 
there  is  in  his  ideas  and  how  feelingly  are  they  expressed. 
Are  you  not  charmed  with  the  soft  languor  that  prevails 
in  many  of  his  Sonnets  ?  The  descriptions  glow  neither  as 
in  the  lustre  of  the  Sun  or  the  blaze  of  Jewels  but  are 
tinged  with  such  hues  as  are  reflected  from  the  Woods  and 
Waters.  In  them  we  find  neither  gaudiness  nor  glare  nor 
these  false  images  which,  tho'  brilliant,  disgust  by  their 
extravagance  and  claim  but  a  moment's  admiration.  His 
poetry  has  a  more  lasting  impression  over  the  mind  and 
puts  it  into  the  tone  of  reflection.  You  see  I  shall  want 
nothing  to  enshrine  Petrarch  amongst  my  poetic  Idols. 
You  please  me  by  telling  me  that  you  carry  the  English 
Classics  with  you.  You  must  think  you  are  bearing  your 
household  Gods  and  esteem  it  sacrilege  to  be  without 
them.  I  think  you  have  reason  to  be  grateful  to  these 
tutelary  Deities  and  as  I  daresay  you  owe  to  them  the 
enjoyment  of  many  happy  hours,  I  shall  no  longer  preach 
to  you  to  divert  yourself  for  with  your  taste  it  is  impossible 


GENEVA 


45 


to  know  a  moment  of  ennui.  No  person  can  wish  you 
finally  settled  more  than  myself,  for  I  feel  by  sympathy 
how  disagreeable  a  roving  life  must  be.  There  is  nothing 
I  should  dislike  more  than  not  having  (as  you  observe)  a 
spot  I  call  my  own  and  an  habitation  however  simple  that 
I  could  shut  myself  up  in  when  I  please  and  in  which  I 
could  change  one  thing  and  alter  another  just  as  my  fancy 
suggested.  I  am  well  aware  of  the  pleasure  you  would 
have  in  finding  out  some  snug  retirement  where  you  might 
totally  give  yourself  up  to  the  education  of  your  Children 
and  the  improvement  of  your  mind,  where  you  might 
ramble  about  and  come  back  again  and  in  short  be  as  free 
as  the  air  you  breathe,  where  you  might  have  a  good  instru- 
ment, plenty  of  books,  and  a  cheerful  view.  If  I  was  in  a 
romantic  mood  and  not  in  a  serious  one  I  would  introduce 
a  rippling  stream,  some  bleating  sheep  and  a  high  rock,  to 
conceal  you  and  my  nephews  from  any  intrusion.  But  yet 
if  you  will  not  think  me  too  fanciful  I  will  continue  singing 
the  praises  of  a  retreat  and  the  comfort  of  solitude. 
Absolutely  I  must  recite  a  few  lines  of  my  favorite  Gray 
with  whose  elegance  and  merit  you  are  well  acquainted : 

Humble  Quiet  builds  her  cell, 

Near  the  source  where  pleasure  flows ; 

She  eyes  the  clear  crystalline  well. 
And  tastes  it  as  it  goes. 

If  you  are  of  my  way  of  thinking  you  will  find  Nancy 
too  turbulent,  but  Colonel  Hamilton  will  display  its  merits 
and  demerits  better  than  me.  The  3rd  and  4th  part  of 
your  Novel  pleased  me  as  much  as  the  1st  and  2nd.  The 
situations  are  happily  contrived  and  the  characters  equally 
well  kept  up.  I  have  no  time  to  say  half  I  would  about 
it,  for  I  hear  Musick  in  the  long  Gallery  of  the  Castle  that 
summons  me  to  Supper.  What  would  I  not  give  for  you 
to  see  this  strange  edifice  especially  at  Night  when  its  vast 
Halls  and  winding  passages  are  just  visible  by  the  light  of 
expiring  fires.  It  is  then  that  I  frequently  pace  along 
the  deserted  apartments,  listen  to  the  murmurs  of  the 
Lake  and  mark  the  Owls  shrieking  from  the  battlements 
of  the  Gateway.  It  is  at  these  moments  I  recollect  all 
that  has  happened  to  me,  lament  those  Friends  that  are 
no  more  and  cast  a  trembling  look  towards  Futurity. 
Adieu. 


46  WILLIAM  BECK  FORD 


William  Beckfoud  to  Hon.  Edmund  Phipps 

Geneva,  Jan.  12,  1778. 

My  fingers  are  eight  degrees  below  freezing  point, 
which  same  point  is  at  present  my  Nose.    Judge  then 
whether  I  shall  be  able  to  send  you  either  a  long  or  an 
entertaining  Epistle.    By  the  Alps  you  would  shudder 
were  you  to  cast  yr.  Eyes  over  as  dismal  a  project  as  that 
which  at  present  lies  extended  before  my  Windows. 
Nothing  but  Mountains  beyond  Mountains,  and  Peaks 
beyond  Peaks,  all  covered  with  an  universal  uninteresting 
Garment  of  Snow. — Heavens  preserve  me  from  such  a 
scurvy  climate,  say  I.    How  I  wish  for  Dr.  Solander  or 
some  such  personage  to  talk  to  me  about  the  delightful 
Climate  of  the  Tropics,  your  Groves  of  Cocoas  and 
Bananas,  and  your  fair  little  Highty-touty  Ladies  skip- 
ping about  under  their  shade. — And  so  you  are  going  to 
commence  an  Action  about  yr.  Studies,  and  intend  pro- 
secuting them  with  a  vengeance  mighty  well.  Pray 
summon  all  the  old  Grecians  to  your  assistance  and  serve 
Dr.  Warburton  and  his  divine  Legation  of  Moses  with  a 
writ ;  but  literally,  joking  and  fooling  apart,  do  you  intend 
setting  at  the  good  things  of  the  Church  ?    If  you  do,  I 
make  no  doubt  but  that  the  brawn  of  Prebendaries  and 
the  coUops  of  good  Bishoprics  will  drop  into  your  Mouth. 
You  will  not  be  surprised  at  these  gormandising  Similes 
when  I  tell  you  I  exist  amongst  a  set  whose  only  method 
of  keeping  out  the  cold  is  by  cramming  their  mouths  as 
full  as  ever  they  can  stuff.    In  vain  does  London  boast 
her  Turtullians,  in  vain  does  she  glory  in  her  men  of 
Paunch ;  Geneva,  if  possible,  outdoes  her  outdoings  and 
for  th^oatular  expeditions  stands  unparalleled.    I  have  the 
honour  of  appearing  at  Suppers  ad  infinitum  where  those 
hardy  Hepublicans  display.    Their  daily  Advertizer  is 
filled  with  ways  and  means  to  facilitate  the  eater  Powers : 
for  example,  De  la  Rosee  de  Vie  et  de  Sante,  contre  les 
abattement  d'Estomac  .  .  .  renvoie  degouts,  coliques, 
vents,  indigestions,  bonne  pour  fortissier  les  Vieillards. 

I  certainly  think  we  talk  here  much  more  about 
America  than  you  do  in  London.  Keally  it  is  so  rueful  a 
topic  and  there  is  so  little  good  to  be  said  of  it  that  it  is 
best  to  be  silent.    I  am  obliged  to  break  off  in  the  midst 


GENEVA 


47 


of  my  political  disquisitions  for  the  Traineau  is  waiting 
for  me,  and  I  am  just  going  to  whisk  across  the  Ice  to  a  little 
Savoyarde  Village  situated  among  woods  of  pines  that 
twinkle  with  Icicles.  Adieu,  I  can  but  just  beg  you  to 
write  immediately,  and  to  conclude  in  a  hurry  by  assuring 
you  of  the  sincerity  with  which  I  remain 

Your  affectionate, 

W.  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey 

Geneva,  Ja.  igtk,  1778. 

My  dear  Sister, 

I  am  very  glad  indeed  that  the  Letter  I  sent 
to  Maestricht  has  reached  you  at  Bruscelles,  for  I 
would  not,  for  the  World,  have  had  you  imagine  that 
at  this  moment  of  all  others  I  possessed  the  idea  of  forget- 
fulness.  Heaven  knows  how  happy  I  was  at  receiving 
a  very  obliging  Letter  from  Mr.  Hervey,  which  gave  me 
reason  to  hope  that  your  Spirits  had  very  rarely  deserted 
you.  Certain  I  am,  my  dear  Sister,  that  you  always  had 
an  elevation  of  thought  which  makes  you  regard  a  thousand 
circumstances  as  minute,  which  to  most  others  would  have 
appeared  gigantic.  This  consideration  I  confess  has  been 
of  great  service  to  me,  for  it  has  made  me  think  of  you 
frequently  with  the  greatest  satisfaction,  whereas  did  I  not 
know  you  possessed  that  serenity  of  mind  capable  of  dis- 
pelling the  troubles  that  may  hover  around  you,  your 
remembrance  would  have  been  attended  by  innumerable 
uncomfortable  reflections.  At  present — I  think  of  you, 
of  your  Children,  of  everything  that  belongs  to  you,  in  a 
manner  that,  could  I  describe,  would  present  no  unpleasing 
Picture  of  the  affectionate  sentiments  with  which  I  am 
penetrated.  Let  me,  I  conjure  you,  advise  as  much  dissi- 
pation as  possible,  that  is,  as  much  distraction  as  con- 
veniently lies  in  your  way.  Amuse  your  imagination 
continually  give  it  full  scope,  and  let  Buildings,  Pictures, 
Characters  fleet  before  your  Eyes.  Vary  eternally  the 
Scene — I  mean  of  your  reflections.  Occupy  yourself 
very  much.  Draw,  read  entertaining  works,  write,  have 
recourse  to  Musick,  go  to  Mass — ^do  anything  but  be 
melancholy.  I  know  you  will  laugh  (at  least  I  hope  you 
will)  at  my  idea  of  sending  you  to  Mass  for  consolation  ; 


48 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


but  if  there  are  any  very  striking  and  magnificent  Churches 
at  Bruscelles,  the  spectacle  will  be  new  and  imposing.  I 
have  heard  there  are  some  pretty  Pictures  to  be  seen  in 
your  Town,  chiefly  I  suppose  in  private  collections.  I 
reckon  very  greatly  upon  the  amusement  Antwerp  will 
afford  you.  To  a  person  whose  taste  is,  like  yours,  quite 
alive  to  objects  of  an  elegant  nature,  that  place  must 
charm  your  attention  in  a  very  great  degree,  which  is  full 
of  the  most  famous  paintings  that  continually  offer  them- 
selves to  your  imagination.  Let  me  beg  you  to  examine 
them  as  much,  and,  if  you  can,  to  think  as  fully  about 
them  as  if  you  was  travelling  on  a  Scheme  of  idle  amuse- 
ment. My  fancy  is  the  only  part  of  me  which  is  at 
present  able  to  travel,  for  we  are  on  all  sides  hemmed  in 
by  Mountains  entirely  whitened  with  Snow  which  is  about 
three  feet  deep  everywhere. 

My  Imagination  I  say  then  has  been  following  Ariosto 
thro'  all  the  wild  excursions  of  his  enchanting  poetry, 
thro'  Forests  of  Oaks  in  Caledonia  and  thro'  Woods  of 
Citron  and  myrtle  in  the  groves  of  India,  now  stalking 
across  the  Mountains  of  Spain.  One  moment  descending 
into  the  cells  of  enchantment  and  at  another  diving  into 
the  very  depths  of  the  Ocean,  wandering  amongst  corralines 
and  sporting  amidst  all  the  treasures  which  the  Sea  has 
swallowed.  Sometimes  rising  into  the  Aether  and  winging 
its  rapid  course  to  the  very  Moon,  there  discovering  a 
thousand  quaint  conceits  and  pleasant  phantasies  imagined 
with  such  originality  as  has  thrown  me  into  astonishment. 
Surely  those  must  have  every  feeling  of  Genius  blunted 
who  are  not  seized  with  a  kind  of  enthusiasm  upon 
reading  such  an  assemblage  of  beautiful  Fictions,  delivered 
with  such  eloquence,  with  such  prodigality  of  rich  imagery 
and  with  such  numbers  as  soothe  the  Ear  with  an  harmony 
not  to  be  found,  I  think,  in  almost  any  other  Language. 
Do  you  not  recollect  a  good  many  years  ago,  when  I  was 
a  very  small  Animal,  and  when  you  studied  Italian  with 
great  avidity,  how  frequently  you  used  to  recount  to  me 
the  strange  adventures,  pompous  Descriptions  and  marvel- 
lous Histories  you  found  in  this  Author.  You  remember, 
I  daresay,  with  what  eagerness  I  listened  to  your  narra- 
tions and  with  what  ardour  I  wished  to  read  the  original 
from  which  you  extracted  such  charming  Episodes.  Judge 
then  of  the  delight  with  which  I  renewed  my  acquaintance 


GENEVA 


49 


with  Astolpho  and  the  pleasure  I  took  in  recovering  my 
long  lost  Rugiero,  his  Hippogriff  and  the  Castle  of  Steel. 
You  will  be  surprised  when  I  tell  you  that  in  so  short  a 
space  as  two  Months  I  have  almost  finished  Ariosto,  have 
read  the  best  part  of  Dante,  have  translated  two  Books  of 
the  Gerusalemma  Liberata,  and  can  speak  Italian  with 
ease ;  in  short  I  should  wonder  myself  at  the  progress  I 
have  made,  did  not  the  ardour,  the  application  and  the  joy 
with  which  I  read  or  rather  devour  Orlando  Furioso  in 
some  measure  account  for  it.  But  however,  I  had  ever  a 
hankering  after  that  Language,  and  having  learnt  the 
Grammars  of  several  others,  the  difficulty  was  by  no 
means  considerable. 

Voltaire  has  asked  me  to  spend  two  or  three  Days  at 
Ferney ;  he  adores,  worships  and  glorifies  Ariosto  as  well 
as  myself  so  we  shall  agree  very  [well]  I  believe,  and  as 
soon  as  the  Snow  takes  itself  away  I  shall  set  off.  At 
present  that  I  have  no  Mountains  to  resort  to  or  lovely 
prospects  to  describe,  when  every  object  is  buried  in 
Snow  and  every  Fir  Tree  glistening  with  Icicles,  wonder 
not  that  I  have  recourse  to  the  imaginations  of  others 
to  entertain  you ;  for  really  my  own  is  so  deadened  by 
the  Season,  so  gloomified  by  uniformly  dull  Weather, 
that  literally,  without  the  assistance  of  my  Italian  poetry 
and  the  pleasing  recollections  of  those  hours  I  used 
to  pass  in  hearing  you  admire  its  vagaries  (for  by  what 
other  appellation  can  one  call  the  stories  in  general  of 
my  adorable  Ariosto)  this  Epistle  would,  I  believe, 
exceed  in  dulness  even  those  which  you  have  before 
received  from  me. 

The  way  of  living  at  Geneva  is  far  from  gay  ;  but  in 
return  it  is  very  improving.  The  Societies  are  composed 
of  so  many  clever  people  that  notwithstanding  a  certain 
form  and  solemnity  that  prevails  in  them,  they  do  not 
altogether  displease  me.  Another  circumstance  I  like,  is 
the  number  of  original  Characters  to  be  met  with  here. 
In  the  first  rank  of  these,  shines  my  Friend  Huber  whose 
particular  excellence  would  be  very  hard  to  discover,  as  he 
is  as  changeable  as  the  wind  and  sometimes  as  boisterous. 
One  day  he  wanders  with  his  Faucons  over  Hill  and  Dale, 
marsh  and  river,  wood  and  garden  ;  the  next,  shut  up  in 
his  Cabinet  he  will  reflect  on  the  nature  of  the  Universe 
and  the  first  principle  of  all  things.    The  following  week 

D 


/ 


50  WILLIAM  BECK  FORD 

perhaps  he  is  totally  engaged  in  drawing  caricatures  and 
saying  the  queerest  drollest  things  imaginable,  and  if  he 
writes  during  this  humour,  probably  it  will  be  a  disserta- 
tion upon  the  nature  of  Cats'  whiskers.  See  him  the  day 
after  this  whim  has  left  him  and  you  will  find  a  pro- 
found Musician,  composing  Misereres  and  declaiming 
Recitative  with  all  the  taste  and  judgment  of  an  eminent 
professor.  Whilst  this  rage  lasts  he  holds  forth  with  all 
the  energy  of  an  ancient  Bard  and  is  generally  poetical. 
It  is  during  this  Fit  we  exult  in  the  glories  of  Ariosto  and 
Shakespeare,  give  a  loose  to  our  imaginations  and  repeat 
whole  passages  hy  heart  in  so  vociferous  a  style  as  makes 
all  the  Auditors  stare  again  and  say  the  Devil  has  left  the 
Swine  to  possess  us.  A  few  hours  elapse.  Come  and  you 
will  find  him  in  a  coarse  jacket  feeding  his  Birds  of  prey, 
all  over  filthiness  and  garbage.  His  hands  .  .  .  are  far  too 
nasty  to  dwell  upon ;  but  should  you  just  observe  their 
delicacy  he  would  answer,  en  passant,  A  h,  si  vous  voiez  mes 
pieds  I 

The  next  Night  very  likely  he  would  be  seen  sunk  in 
his  Arm  chair  by  the  Fire  side  covered  with  snufF  and 
strewing  it  about  whenever  he  moves,  quite  marking  his 
track.  He  is  now  as  indolent  as  you  please  and  seems  to 
have  forgot  all  that  activity  of  Mind  and  Body  for  which 
he  is  sometimes  so  remarkable.  He  will  now  read  nothing 
but  romances  and  if  anybody  comes  in  speak  Spanish. 
Those  who  have  been  with  him  once  before,  perhaps  at  the 
time  he  talked  of  the  government  of  providence  and  other 
topics  of  the  gravest  cast,  might  wish  to  take  up  the  con- 
versation again,  and  put  him  once  more  upon  such  subject. 
Let  them  question  him  a  little — it  will  be  all  in  vain.  He 
will  gape  and  whistle  and  pick  his  teeth  and  stir  the  Fire. 
Suppose  they  persevere.  He  continues  so  obstinate  that 
at  last  quite  impatient  they  ask  if  he  ever  heard  of  the 
Eire  Supreme.  With  all  the  sangfroid  and  gravity  con- 
ceivable he  will  answer,  Oui,  Jai  entendu  dise  du  bien 
de  lui.  By  the  day  after  the  scene  is  shifted  and  you  will 
converse  with  a  very  reasonable  Being,  a  little  singular 
indeed,  but  upon  the  whole  as  pleasing  as  you  can  imagine. 
His  conversation  is  now  elegant  and  in  what  the  French 
call  un  ton  cavalier,  perfectly  well-bred,  attentive  and 
obliging,  may  be  tho'  a  little  sneering  ;  but  that  only  when 
the  Company  is  very  plaguing  and  composed  des  Gens  qui 


AIX  EN  SAVOY 


51 


se  fianquent  d' esprit.  If  he  has  diverted  himself  well  in  the 
Day  either  by  Falconry,  engraving,  music,  writing,  etc. 
etc.,  you  will  find  him  deh'ghtful  in  the  Evening,  serene, 
full  of  agreeable  ideas.  Ideas  that  breathe  the  most 
delicate  sensibility.  It  is  then  he  will  talk  of  the  adven- 
tures of  his  Youth,  recount  his  rambles  thro'  Italy  and 
describe  the  various  scenes  that  have  just  passed  before  his 
eyes.  His  descriptions  are  covered  with  more  vivacity  and 
affect  me  in  a  degree  superior  to  any  I  have  ever  heard, 
and  probably  they  w^ould  produce  on  you  a  similar  effect. 
I  would  continue  tracing  this  Genius  thro'  all  his  windings 
and  following  him  thro'  the  labyrinth  of  his  ideas  and 
occupations  in  hopes  to  afford  you  some  amusement  but 
it  would  be  as  easy  to  pursue  a  Meteor  or  to  Morris  after 
that  dancing  exhalation  which  our  Country  Folks  call  the 
Will  o'  the  Wisp. 

There  are  more  strange  Animals  at  Geneva  besides  the 
one  I  have  attempted  to  say  something  about ;  but  there 
were  none  so  wonderful.  You  must  live  with  Huber,  to 
be  able  to  discern  his  real  perfection,  and  I  greatly  fear  I 
have  sent  you  but  a  very  feeble  Sketch.  However,  I 
trust  you  will  excuse  my  not  being  able  to  divert  you  in 
the  Winter. 

Adieu,  Dr.  Sister,  I  am  ever  your  most  aff. 

W.  B. 


Aix  EN  Savoy,  June  5,  1778. 

Have  you  ever  read  the  Lives  of  the  Fathers  of  the 
Deserts  ?  If  you  have,  I  am  confident  it  was  with 
pleasure.  St.  Bruno's  in  particular  made  a  very  deep 
impression  on  me  and  I  solemnly  vowed  after  reading  it 
again  and  again,  to  visit  the  Spot  he  consecrated  to 
religious  Tranquillity,  where  he  raised  the  Monastery  of 
the  Grande  Chartreuse  so  long  and  so  deservedly  famous. 
My  View  was  shortly  put  into  execution  and  to-day  I  set 
out  on  my  Pilgrimage. 

The  Morning  by  no  means  smiled  on  my  Enterprise. 
The  Mont  Saleve  was  covered  with  grey  Clouds,  the  Lake 
with  vapours  and  the  Plains  with  mists  ;  but  I  had  sworn 
to  set  forward  and  it  was  not  in  the  power  of  the  Elements 
to  deter  me. 

Happily  we  did  not  enter  into  further  contest,  for  when 


52  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


I  reached  Frangy,  a  little  Village  about  five  or  six  leagues 
from  Geneva,  the  black  clouds  were  rolling  away  and  the 
blue  Sky  began  to  be  visible.  Here  I  was  obliged  to  stop 
for  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  after  ascending  and  descend- 
ing a  steep  Hill  pursued  my  route  thro'  several  Valleys 
shaded  by  flourishing  groves  of  Walnut  Trees  and  watered 
by  the  Awe.  After  crossing  a  cultivated  Plain  I  heard 
the  roar  of  some  considerable  Torrent,  and,  approaching 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  woodlands  from  whence  the 
Sound  proceeded,  was  startled  at  the  sight  of  a  deep  cleft 
dividing  another  wide  extended  Valley — probably  rent 
by  some  dreadful  Earthquake.  A  Stream  rushes  turbu- 
lently  from  the  distant  Hills  and  fills  this  rocky  Channel 
along  which  it  hurries  with  a  loud  bellowing. 

The  Slender  withered  Trees  which  hang  over  it  on 
one  side  and  the  tall  Mountain  Ash  which  springs  from 
the  Cliffs  on  the  other  have  a  fine  effect,  nor  is  the  dark 
colour  of  the  rocks  opposed  to  the  Silver  brightness  of  the 
Stream  less  pleasing.  I  leaned  a  long  while  on  the  barrier 
of  a  Bridge  which  crosses  the  Precipice  and  gazed  on  the 
dark  Gulph,  on  the  foaming  waters  and  the  Lights  re- 
flected from  the  variegated  Sky  with  great  delight  and 
wished  you  was  with  me  to  enjoy  them.  A  few  miles  on 
we  came  to  the  Bridge  of  Cope  consisting  of  one  bold 
Arch,  thrown  over  the  same  torrent  we  had  crossed  before 
and  soon  after  passing  thro'  Rumilly  trsLyersed  a  beautiful 
plain  bounded  on  every  side  by  Mountains  as  varied  as  a 
picturesque  Eye  could  desire  and  above  whose  Summits 
rise  the  distant  Glaciers  in  all  their  majesty.  The  Country 
here  seems  created  for  us  to  wander  and  roam  about  in. 
We  should  be  charmed  for  months  with  its  Peaks,  its 
verdure  and  its  Lawns.  We  should  gaze  with  transport 
[on]  Fifty  Sun-sets  at  the  distant  Glaciers  which  have 
appeared  this  Evening  in  full  glory.  A  dark  blue  Cloud 
which  traversed  their  Base  (at  least  what  seemed  their 
base  from  here)  looked  as  if  it  sustained  them  in  the 
Air.  The  Rays  of  the  sun  striking  on  their  pinnacles 
lent  them  all  the  pomp  of  aerial  palaces ;  their  distance 
gave  full  scope  to  the  Imagination  and  allowed  it  to  form 
a  thousand  conjectures.  I  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  these 
brilliant  objects  till  the  Clouds  roll'd  over  them  and  closed 
a  scene  which  had  inspired  me  with  a  train  of  magnificent 
ideas. 


LES  ECHELLES 


53 


I  was  totally  rapt  up  in  them  till  to  my  great  surprise 
the  Coach  stopped  at  Aia^,  where  the  impertinent  bustle 
of  the  place  and  the  stench  of  the  Baths  soon  convinced 
me  that  I  was  in  the  midst  of  our  rare  World  again,  and 
very  sorry  I  was  to  have  finished  my  excursion  into  the 
other. 

Les  Echelles,  June  6tk  [1778], 

The  Sun  had  but  just  appear'd  above  the  Mountains 
when  we  left  Aix  and  in  a  few  hours  reached  Chambdry, 
a  Town  very  little  worth  talking  to  you  of,  being  full  of 
Piedmontese  Oflicers  and  Smarts  or  such  as  would  be  so 
if  they  could.  Vile  dirty  Streets  and  ill  built  Convents ; 
fat  lazy  Monks  and  sauntering  Abbes,  in  short  all  kinds 
of  Stupidity  ;  and  to  mention  a  water  drinking  place 
about  a  league  and  a  half  from  the  Town  where  all  Idlers 
(and  these  are  plentiful)  go  dreaming  along  with  their 
umbrellas,  exhibiting  as  stupid  a  set  of  Mortals  as  one 
shall  see  on  a  Summer's  day.  I  need  not  tell  you  my 
stay  was  of  no  very  long  continuance  in  this  charming 
City ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  stir  with  any  pleasure  till 
the  Evening.  About  an  hour  or  two  before  Sun-set  we 
set  forward  thro'  many  woody  valleys,  whose  thick  shades 
frequently  concealed  the  Mountainous  Country  which 
formed  them.  The  Noontide  Air  was  delightfully  refresh- 
ing after  so  Hot  a  day  and  the  sight  of  so  many  groves 
and  thickets  contributed  to  relieve  the  Eye  tired  with  the 
bareness  of  Rocks  and  the  barren,  but  majestic  prospect 
of  Mountains. 

We  were  within  three  leagues  of  Les  Echelles  when  we 
began  to  ascend  the  side  of  a  long  range  of  Mountains 
almost  entirely  covered  with  Trees  and  Pastures.  My 
Attention  was  chiefly  attracted  by  the  pinnacles  of  Rock 
which  edged  our  Road  and  threatened  every  Instant  to 
block  it  up  for  ever.  They  had  indeed  as  rude  and  as 
menacing  an  appearance  as  any  pile  of  Houses  could 
possibly  assume,  and  I  could  not  help  feeling  a  degree  of 
apprehension  whilst  we  passed  under  their  projecting 
Masses.  This  Succession  of  pointed  Rocks  stretched  out 
the  approach  to  a  very  singular  Object  in  a  striking 
manner,  for  we  had  left  them  but  a  few  paces  behind, 
when,  upon  looking  up  at  the  Cliffs,  we  perceiv'd  a  full 
Torrent  pouring  down  with  all  its  might  from  the  Forests 


54  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

which  shaded  their  brow.  As  we  advanced,  our  Road 
kept  winding  along  a  green  Lawn  at  the  end  of  which  we 
beheld  the  vast  Waters  throwing  themselves  from  the 
woody  precipices  into  a  profound  chasm.  I  ran  instantly 
to  its  edge  and  stood  petrified  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
without  uttering  a  syllable.  When  I  recovered  from  my 
first  amazement  I  found  myself  [drenched]  by  the  spray  and 
was  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  a  Cave  worn  in  the  side  of  the 
Cliff.  Before  me  stood  a  mossy  Rock  on  which  I  leaned. 
High  above  rose  a  line  of  perpendicular  Rocks  mantled 
with  Woods  from  whence  rush'd  the  Torrent,  which  after 
striking  twice  against  opposite  fragments  of  the  Moun- 
tain, fell  at  least  four  hundred  feet  into  a  Black  Fissure 
down  whose  recesses  I  ventured  a  look  and  then  retired. 
When  I  had  retreated  about  a  hundred  yards  I  lay  down 
on  the  Turf  under  the  covert  of  the  Shrubs  which  flourish'd 
around  and,  turning  myself  towards  the  Fall,  marked  the 
first  glimpse  of  the  Waters  as  they  issued  from  the  Woods 
on  high,  traced  them  tumbling  down  the  steep  and 
followed  their  tumultuous  Course  till  it  disappeared 
among  the  Fissures  beneath.  The  verdure  of  the  Lawn 
on  which  I  lay  w'as  inexpressibly  beautiful.  Moistened 
by  the  spray  of  the  descending  Waters  it  retains  the 
freshness  of  Spring  in  the  heats  of  Summer  and  being 
illumined  by  the  beams  of  the  setting  sun,  shooting  aslant 
a  sloping  wood,  presented  one  of  the  most  lovely  Pictures 
I  ever  beheld.  This  Landscape,  tho'  grand  and  striking, 
is  far  from  being  characterised  by  that  awful  and  gloomy 
Solemnity  which  constitutes  the  sublime.  On  the  con- 
trary its  parts  are  noble  and  considerable,  without  being 
imposing.  The  cheerful  sunny  exposition  of  the  Lawn, 
the  lightness  and  brilliancy  of  its  verdure  and  the  vivacity 
of  several  inconsiderable  Rills  which  sparkle  rather  than 
foam,  diffuses  an  air  of  gaiety  which  greatly  diminishes 
the  effect  of  the  main  torrent,  whose  banks  being  clad 
with  flowers  and  browzed  by  Cattle,  seem  rather  to 
invite  than  repulse  the  Travellers,  who  are  continually 
passing  before  them,  offering  a  cool  delightful  retreat 
after  the  Sultriness  of  a  Summer  Journey.  No  broken 
pines  or  shattered  Fragments  indicate  devastation. 
The  scene  is  far  more  tranquil  than  might  be  ex- 
pected in  the  neighbourhood  of  so  considerable  a  Torrent 
and,  if  its  roar  was  not  alarming  to  those  unaccustomed 


FETERNE 


55 


to  such  Sounds,  might  be  chosen  for  an  agreeable 
Habitation. 

It  was  with  reluctance  I  quitted  these  pure  Waters 
and  the  Woods  which  surround  them  and  shall  long 
cherish  the  idea  of  returning  to  them  some  future  day 
and  pitching  my  Tents  on  the  Lawn. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey 

Feterne,  1778. 

We  were  a  long  while  confined  between  the  fields  of 
corn  and  tracks  of  pastures,  whose  lofty  flourishing  Hedge 
rows  hindered  the  splendid  prospects  of  the  Lake  and  the 
majestic  peaks  of  the  Mountains  from  intruding  upon  the 
sober  character  and  pastoral  simplicity  of  the  Scene.  We 
were  just  beginning  to  divert  upon  the  state  of  Cultivation 
in  this  part  of  Savoy,  when  the  sudden  discovery  of  a  deep 
romantic  Valley,  a  range  of  White  Cliffs  partly  mantled 
with  luxuriant  Shrubs,  a  Mountain  whose  base  was  shaded 
by  a  girdle  of  leafy  Oaks  and  Chesnut  Trees  and  whose 
round  Summit  was  striped  with  variety  of  greens,  rising 
immediately  above,  allured  our  attention.  The  peasant 
who  guided  us,  advancing  before  with  his  Ladder  under 
his  arm,  pointed  to  a  Blue  winding  River  covering  its 
shallow  rocky  channel  with  a  rapid  succession  of  hght 
sparkling  waves  and  that  followed  the  serpentine  windings 
of  the  narrow  Valley,  and  was  lost  in  the  Lake  whose 
azure  gloom  blending  with  the  haze  of  the  distant  shore 
terminated  on  one  side  our  prospects  with  an  aerial  in- 
distinctness. 

Do  you  perceive  that  greyish  cliff,  said  the  peasant, 
still  directing  our  eyes  to  the  edge  of  the  Stream.  Up 
that  Precipice,  abrupt  as  it  is,  we  must  climb  if  you  are 
still  desirous  of  reaching  the  grotto.  Three  branching 
Elders,  continued  he,  must  serve  you  then  for  Con- 
ductor, my  assistance  can  extend  no  further  than  holding 
the  ladder  below.  Heavens,  answered  I,  you  do  not 
mean  we  should  clambour  up  that  pointed  Bock  that 
stands  detached  like  a  Tower,  and  from  which  project  yon 
phantastic  group  of  shattered  trees,  those,  I  flatter  myself, 
are  not  the  Conductors  you  propose  us.  No,  No, 
replied  the  sturdy  clown,  I  believe  very  few  of  you 


56 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Gentlemen  mountain  Climbers  are  equal  to  such  an 
Enterprise.  For  my  part  I  have  often  been  let  down 
that  very  Peak  which  alarms  you  so,  and  have  robbed 
many  an  Eagle's  nest  in  time  with  all  possible  composure. 
Well,  AVell,  said  I,  no  eyrie  is  now  in  question,  so 
pray  lead  the  way  down  the  steeps.  T  long  to  be  in  the 
Valley,  to  tread  those  green  spots  by  the  stream,  to  lean  a 
moment  against  the  Chesnut  Trees  which  spring  from 
them,  and  from  there  look  up  to  the  Cliffs  and  down  to 
the  Lake  and  all  around  in  short.  Our  Conversation 
was  now  obliged  to  relax  a  little  as  the  difficulty  of  the 
descent  summoned  all  our  Attention.  Had  I  not  been 
long  inured  to  such  expeditions,  had  I  not  ascended  the 
peaks  above  the  Grande  Chartreuse,  clamboured  about 
Mount  Glemmis,  and  stumbled  over  the  Glaciers,  I  should 
certainly  have  rolled  speedily  into  the  Valley,  and  risked 
a  Voyage  to  Fairyland,  rather  a  little  too  soon  ;  but  as  it 
was  I  arrived  safe  at  the  bottom,  and  as  I  am  not  so 
ceremonious  as  some  Folks  are  in  the  operation  who  make 
a  thousand  Compliments  to  themselves  about  catching 
Cold  and  tell  as  many  stories  about  not  sweating  half  as 
much  as  they  ought  to  do,  I  fairly  laid  myself  down  on 
the  sloping  green  sward  under  the  shade  of  one  of  those 
leafy  Chesnuts  which  I  had  marked  from  above  and  slept 
as  serenely  as  if  under  a  silken  pavilion.  How  long  I 
slept  neither  I  know  nor  you  care,  I  suppose,  but  as  you 
are  an  odd  sort  of  a  personage  you  would  have  enjoyed 
awakening  like  me  and  not  knowing  where  you  were, 
being  prodigiously  surprized  to  find  yourself  amidst 
shelving  steeps,  hanging  woods,  and  nodding  promon- 
tories on  the  margin  of  a  Stream  that  you  scarce  knew  by 
sight  and  in  Company  with  a  group  of  Goats  with  whom 
you  were  totally  unacquainted.  For  my  part  the  first 
moment  I  opened  my  eyes  1  entirely  forgot  where  I  was, 
or  for  why  I  was  dozing  in  this  retired  Valley.  1  had 
been  dreaming  of  past  events,  and  prognosticating  future, 
the  present  were  the  last  which  presented  themselves. 
However,  after  an  instant,  reflection  recalled  I  was 
journeying  to  the  grotto  of  the  Fairies,  whether  to  consult 
them  or  to  collect  portions  of  stalactite,  I  knew  not 
directly  ;  so  willing  to  be  informed  I  turned  towards  my 
guide  and,  looking  more  at  an  opening  in  the  cliffs  above 


FETERNE 


57 


where  I  expect  the  grotto  was  situated  rather  than  at  him, 
demanded  in  a  very  silly  stare  I  believe,  where  are  the 
Fairies — changed  into  Bats  long  ago,  and  pray  why — 
a  good  riddance  I  promise  you,  quoth  the  Clown,  these 
were  the  most  mischievous  set  of  Beings  in  the  Universe, 
not  a  Baby  could  remain  in  its  cradle,  nor  a  Chesnut  in 
its  Bark,  nor  a  head  on  its  shoulders,  nor  a  Cure  in  his 
pulpit,  these  were  the  most  officious,  the  most  meddling 
elves  that  ever  haunted  a  village.  Now  who  was  so  kind 
as  to  change  them  to  a  bat's  carcase?  Le  Bon  Dieu, 
because.  Because,  every  now  and  then  they  had  the  trick 
of  holding  their  Sabbath  under  the  Church  and  tempting 
the  Monks  and  pinching  the  Nuns — he  would  have  run 
on  much  longer  but  I  stopped  him  by  setting  my  feet  on 
the  trunk  of  a  Chesnut  bended  perhaps  by  a  series  of  ages, 
and  laying  hold  of  an  Oak  branch  that  dangled  over  it 
sprang  upon  the  shelving  steeps  of  sand,  and  fragments 
overgrown  by  a  thick  vegetation,  and,  after  a  quarter  of 
an  hour's  clambouring  amongst  them,  reached  a  ledge  of 
mossy  Rock  that  bulged  a  little  forwards,  and  seating 
myself  upon  it,  waited  patiently  and  with  my  eyes  fixed 
on  the  cool  green  valley,  till  my  Guide  had  discovered  a 
convenient  place  to  fix  the  Ladder — which  very  con- 
venient act  being  performed,  I  began  ascending  and  hung 
for  a  second  or  two  between  the  craggs  above  and  the 
Woods  and  the  Valley  below.  Had  I  dropped  I  should 
have  fallen  plump  into  the  clear  winding  Rivulet  whose 
appearance  now  for  the  first  time  began  to  alarm  me.  I 
was  not  a  little  rejoiced  when  I  found  myself  once  more 
on  a  firm  mass  of  the  Mountain,  full  before  a  darkish 
Fissure,  the  entrance  of  the  grotto  and  the  portal  of  my 
expectations,  but  this  pleasure  was  rather  damped  by  the 
ideas  of  another  aerial  expedition  and  another  adventure 
on  the  River  below.  It  was  now  between  10  and  11, 
the  Sun  was  beginning  to  shine  forth  with  all  its 
splendour,  and  the  white  cliffs  were  growing  almost  too 
resplendent  for  the  Eye  which  eagerly  turned  towards 
the  tufted  foliage  of  the  Grove  and  afterwards  as  it  were 
resuming  courage  ventured  to  gaze  at  the  glowing  purple 
haze  of  the  distant  peaks  that  determined  on  every  side 
the  horizon. 

The  winding  light  of  the  River  contrasted  with  the 


58  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


dark  green  of  its  margin,  and  the  dashing  occasioned  by 
some  Herds  which  were  passing  over,  were  circumstances 
which  enhanced  the  charms  of  the  prospect  and  tempted 
me  to  pass  divine  minutes  in  contemplating  it,  tho'  at  the 
very  mouth  of  the  haunted  Cavern  I  had  been  so  long 
desirous  of  exploring. 


CHAPTER  IV 

"BIOGRAPHICAL  MEMOIRS  OF  EXTRAORDINARY 
PAINTERS  "  (1778-1780) 

Beckford  returns  to  Fonthill  :  His  impressions  :  Sent  on  a  Tour 
through  England  :  Plymouth  :  He  and  Lettice  arrested  as  spies  : 
Visits  Lord  Courtenay^  and  Charles  Hamilton  :  A  taste  for 
horticulture  :  Goes  north  :  Returns  to  Fonthill  :  Writes  "  Bio- 
graphical Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters  "  :  Correspondence 
with  Lettice  concerning  the  book  :  Lettice's  preface  to  the 
"  Memoirs  "  :  Motives  that  inspired  the  "  Memoirs  "  :  Beckford's 
sense  of  fun  :  "  A  laughable  book"  :  Lockhart's  verdict  on  the 
"  Memoirs  "  :  The  account  of  the  Extraordinary  Painter  "  Sucre- 
wasser  of  Vienna  "  :  Letters^  December  S,  1779,  to  May  10,  1780  : 
Beckford  at  Court 

It  was  a  matter  of  course  that  Beckford  should  make  the 
Grand  Tour,  but  before  he  embarked  upon  more  extensive 
travels,  it  was  thought  advisable  that  he  should  return  home 
for  a  while.  It  is  generally  supposed  that,  after  an  absence 
of  a  year  and  a  half,  he  was  summoned  to  England  by  his 
mother,  who  thought  it  desirable  for  him  to  see  something 
of  his  own  country ;  but  it  is  more  than  probable  that  his 
recall  may  have  been  due  to  suggestions  made  privately  to 
Mrs.  Beckford  by  Lettice  or  Colonel  Hamilton,  who  may 
have  been  unwilling  to  be  solely  responsible  for  a  lad 
so  unlike  his  fellows.  Beckford  was,  indeed,  difficult 
to  understand.  He  had  no  boyish  faults  apparently, 
beyond  a  latent  disposition  to  mischief,  which  soon 
showed  itself  in  the  composition  of  the  Biographical 
Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters  "  ;  he  cared  not  at  all 
for  games  or  sport,  he  rarely  sought  companions  of  his  own 
age,  and,  though  contented  with  the  society  of  clever, 
well-read  men  and  happy  with  a  book,  his  great  dehght 

59 


60  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

was  in  solitude  to  commune  with  Nature  or  to  indulge 
his  fanciful  and  sometimes  morbid  musings.  These  latter 
pleasures,  indeed,  he  was  not  willing  to  abandon,  and  soon 
after  he  arrived  at  Fonthill,  he  again  poured  out  his  soul 
in  a  rhapsody  of  composition. 

Fonthill,  December  Uh,  1778. 
being  the  full  of  the  Moon. 

The  Dusk  approaches.  I  am  musing  on  the  Plain 
before  the  House  which  my  Father  reared.  No  cheerful 
illuminations  appear  in  the  Windows,  no  sounds  of  Musick 
issue  from  the  Porticos,  no  gay  Revellers  rove  carelessly 
along  the  Colonades  ;  but  all  is  dark,  silent  and  abandoned. 
Such  Circumstances  suit  the  present  tone  of  my  mind. 
Did  I  behold  a  number  of  brilliant  Equipages  rattling 
across  the  Lawn,  or  hear  the  confused  buzz  of  animated 
Conversation,  or  were  a  peal  of  Laughter  to  reach  my 
Ears  or  were  they  assaulted  by  shouts  of  hilarity  and  Joy, 
should  I  not  fly  to  the  woods  for  consolation  and  bury 
myself  in  their  gloom  to  enjoy  solitude  in  security  ?  You 
are  the  human  Being  to  whom  I  have  discovered  the 
strangeness  of  my  fancies ;  for  you  can  feel  as  well  as 
myself,  the  melancholy  pleasures  of  wandering  alone  in 
the  Dusk  over  Plains  of  green  sward,  bordered  on  one 
side  by  Hills  of  Oaks  and  on  the  other  by  a  broad  River 
whose  opposite  Shore  presents  distant  Glens  and  pastures, 
wild  Copses  and  Groves  of  pines  to  which  the  Twilight 
gives  an  additional  Solemnity.  I  surveyed  my  native 
prospects  with  fraternal  affection  and  looked  fondly  on 
every  tree  as  if  we  had  been  born  in  the  same  hour.  The 
Air  I  breathed  seemed  nearer  of  Kin  to  me  than  that  I  had 
elsewhere  respired  ;  in  short  the  Hills,  the  Woods,  the 
Shrubs,  the  very  Moss  beneath  my  Feet  entered  into  this 
general  Alliance  and  I  fancied  myself  surrounded  by  an 
assembly  of  my  best  Friends  and  nearest  Relations.  Of 
what  other  Company  then  could  I  be  ambitious  ?  This 
was  the  spot,  methought,  as  I  looked  on  a  round  of  Turf 
peculiarly  green  (and  so  sheltered  by  Banks  and  Shrub- 
beries as  to  produce  Violets  even  in  this  bleak  Month)  this 
was  the  spot  perhaps  where  my  Guardian  Genius  first 
spread  over  my  infant  Years  the  wings  of  protection. 
That  round  of  Turf,  those  flowers,  sprang  from  the  benign 


FONTHILL 


61 


influence  of  his  approach  and  I  shall  ever  regard  them  as 
memorials  of  his  presence.  The  airy  People  who  watch 
over  Flowers  beheld  him  descend  and,  willing  to  com- 
memorate the  Event,  have  sprinkled  the  Turf  he  selected 
with  the  purest  Dew  ;  therefore,  it  is  green,  therefore 
perfumed  with  Violets.  An  hour  glided  swiftly  away 
whilst  I  was  lost  in  these  agreeable  dreams,  the  Moon 
began  to  brighten  at  the  approach  of  Night  and  the 
Evening  Star  beamed  brilliantly  above  a  lonely  Chapel 
where  many  repose  in  Death.  I  listened  to  every  wild 
Note  that  trembled  in  the  Winds,  and  whilst  I  was 
leaning  against  an  Oak,  a  faint  murmur  from  afar  off 
stole  upon  my  ear.  Soon  I  distinguished  a  flight  of 
Rooks  rising  like  Motes  on  the  Horizon.  In  an  instant 
they  spread  over  the  Sky  and  poising  themselves  above 
the  River  were  joined  by  another  host  shooting  rapidly 
from  the  West.  Now  enlarging  their  Circles  and  taking 
a  bolder  sweep,  the  whole  Heaven  was  in  motion  with 
innumerable  wings.  The  rush  of  their  flight  and  the 
continual  cawing  with  which  they  filled  the  Air  interested 
me  beyond  conception.  How  earnestly  did  I  wish  for  the 
Talisman  of  Lockhart  that  I  might  address  myself  to 
these  winged  Legions  and  ask  them  from  whence  they 
came.  Over  what  woods  have  ye  flown  ?  I  should  say. 
Tell  me  what  Scenes  ye  have  surveyed  ?  Communicate 
to  me  your  joy  at  returning  every  night  to  those  Cities  in 
the  Groves  formed  amongst  innumerable  Boughs  where  ye 
employ  so  well  your  ingenuity.  Did  I  behold  them  with 
your  eyes,  each  branch  would  seem  the  Pillar  of  a  Palace 
and  every  crooked  twig  a  stately  Ornament.  Tell  me  if 
the  tufts  of  Moss  on  Yonder  grotesque  Oak  stumps  are 
not  boasted  by  your  Nobles  as  hangings  of  goodlie  Arras, 
and  those  hollow  Cavities  beneath  in  the  tree,  are  they  not 
regarded  by  your  Poets  as  aweful  Caverns  where  many 
adventures  have  happened  to  Rooks  of  yore.  Perhaps  ye 
have  also  your  superstitious  Fears  and  when  warmly  estab- 
lished in  your  nests  relate  what  Spectres  have  haunted  the 
Beech-roots  so  far  below  and  croak  forth  the  prophecies 
your  ancestors  heard  issuing  from  bowers  of  Ivy ;  for  are 
not  these  green  festoons  that  flourish  in  spite  of  Winter 
your  consecrated  Bowers  ?  Confess  to  me  if  strange  Rites 
are  not  often  performed  in  them  which  heretical  squirrels 
disturb  and  despise.    Ah,  would  I  were  acquainted  with 


62 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


that  mysterious  Word,  by  pronouncing  of  which  ancient 
Brachmans  transported  their  Souls  into  the  Bodies  of  other 
Animals.  Then  would  I  rise  with  ye  into  the  air  and 
share  the  charms  and  the  perils  of  your  Enterprizes. 
Then  should  I  experience  the  pleasure  of  floating  amongst 
Clouds  and  the  triumph  of  looking  down  on  the  World 
beneath.  I  should  glory  in  directing  the  flight  of  thou- 
sands, above  precipices  and  rivers  to  Wilds  where  the 
ripest  berries  glow  on  the  Sprays  ;  and  how  great  would 
be  my  exultations,  when  1  found  myself  returning  in  a 
still  Evening  like  this  with  innumerable  friends  all  cheer- 
fully conversing  together,  all  smoothly  waving  our  Wings 
and  vying  with  each  other  in  the  ease  and  rapidity  of  our 
motions.  And  when  all  my  Companions  are  sunk  into 
repose,  may  I  be  that  Rook,  destined  to  watch  over  the 
ground,  who  sails  alone  thro'  the  skies  by  Moonlight  and 
dares  view  those  Owls,  the  Sorcerers  of  the  feathered  kind, 
whose  shriek  is  alone  sufficient  to  scare  the  bravest  that 
lift  the  Wing.  I  had  scarce  ended  my  soliloquy  before 
the  Sky  was  almost  intirely  deserted.  Here  and  there 
indeed  some  solitary  Rooks,  who  for  reasons  unknown  to 
me  had  deserted  the  throng,  hastened  once  more  with 
faint  cawings  to  rejoin  them  and  before  I  can  write 
this  are  all  hushed  amongst  the  Oaks  in  profound 
tranquility.  Soon  after  I  left  my  tree  and  directed  my 
steps  homewards.  The  Bats  flit  frequently  before 
me  and  many  an  Owl,  according  to  the  mythology 
of  Birds,  quitted  his  haunt  and  hastened  to  perform 
incantations. 

I  then  ascended  the  steps  which  lead  to  a  vast  hall 
paved  with  Marble  and  seatmg  myself,  like  the  Orientals, 
on  Cushions  of  Brocade  placed  by  a  blazing  fire  was  served 
with  Tea  and  a  species  of  white  bread  which  has  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  Meanwhile  my  thoughts  were  wandering 
into  the  interior  of  Africa  and  dwelt  for  hours  on  those 
Countries  I  love.  Strange  tales  of  Mount  Atlas  and 
relations  of  Travellers  amused  my  fancy.  One  instant 
I  imagined  myself  viewing  the  marble  palaces  of  Ethiopean 
princes  seated  on  the  green  woody  margin  of  Lakes, 
studded  in  sands  and  wildernesses,  the  next  transported 
me  to  the  Rocks  of  Carena  where  Atlantes  strove  vainly 
to  preserve  Rugiero  from  the  Perils  of  War.  Some  few 
minutes  after,  I  found  myself  standing  before  a  thick  wood 


FONTHILL 


63 


listening  to  impetuous  water  falls  and  screened  from  the 
Ardour  of  the  Sun  by  its  foliage.  I  was  wondering  at  the 
Scene  when  a  tall  comely  Negro  wound  along  the  slopes 
of  the  Hills  and  without  moving  his  lips  made  me  compre- 
hend I  was  in  Africa,  on  the  brink  of  the  Nile  beneath  the 
Mountains  of  Amara,  I  followed  his  steps  thro'  an 
infinity  of  irregular  Vales,  all  skirted  with  Rocks  and 
blooming  with  an  aromatic  vegetation,  till  we  arrived  at 
the  hollowed  Peak  and  after  exploring  a  JLabyrinth  of 
paths,  which  led  to  its  summit,  a  wide  Cavern  appeared 
before  us.  Here  I  surveyed  landscapes  of  the  most 
romantic  Cast,  tasted  such  fruits  and  scented  such  per- 
fumes as  ravished  my  senses.  I  was  all  Delight  and 
amazement.  We  entered  the  Cavern  and  fell  prostrate 
before  the  sacred  source  of  the  Nile  which  issues  silently 
from  a  deep  Gulph  in  the  Rock.  Suddenly  the  spirit  of 
Father  Ureta  rose  like  a  mist  from  the  Chasm  and  seizing 
me  with  its  influence,  discovered  the  interior  of  the  Cave, 
ascended  thro'  the  Mountain,  and  brought  me  swiftly  to  a 
Castle  with  many  towers  of  grotesque  Architecture. 
There  I  saw  huge  treasures  and  crowds  of  unknown 
Mortals  walking  in  vaulted  Halls  whose  stately  arches 
impressed  veneration.  Here  was  deposited  ancient  records 
and  Histories  of  which  the  rest  of  Men  are  ignorant,  poems 
sung  by  the  Choirs  of  Paradise,  and  volumes,  which  con- 
tain the  sage  Councils  of  Abraham  delivered  by  that 
Patriarch  in  the  plains  of  Mamre,  Busy  multitudes  were 
continually  shifting  from  Place  to  Place  ;  but  before  I 
could  notice  their  Occupations,  the  Spirit  snatched  me 
away  with  such  inconceivable  rapidity  that  I  knew  not  how 
1  was  conveyed  to  a  small  Lawn  circled  by  Rocks  and 
falling  streams  mingled  with  Woods  and  hanging  Meadows 
where  Leopards  and  Antelopes  browzed  fearless  together, 
and  birds  justly  denominated  of  Paradise  fluttered  round 
the  flowers,  whilst  the  Phoenix  such  as  Poets  describe 
soared  into  the  blue  ^ther  and  glistened  in  every  beam. 
A  bright  sun  shining  full  on  the  glowing  Colours  of  the 
Scene  o'erpowerd  my  sight  and  obliged  me  to  seek  the 
Woods  whose  Shade  and  Fragrance  delighted  me  beyond 
conception ;  but  I  was  not  long  suffered  to  enjoy  them. 
Some  irresistible  Impulse  drove  me  to  the  extremity  of  the 
Lawn,  where  I  recoiled  with  Horror  and  Amazement  at 
the  sight  of  a  Precipice  whose  Basis  seemed  to  rest  on  the 


64  WILLIAM  BECKFOUD 


surface  of  our  Globe.  A  faint  blueish  Mist  veiled  the  Seas 
and  Continents  and  it  was  in  vain  that  I  strove  to  dis- 
tinguish the  Mountains  from  the  Plains,  or  the  Lakes 
from  the  V^alleys.  The  Spirit  skimmed  by  me  once  more 
like  a  transitory  breeze,  and  after  hovering  for  some  moments 
round  the  nearest  pinnacle  of  Rocks  stood  calmly  at  my 
side.  Thou  art  gazing,  whispered  a  thin  airy  voice,  at  the 
Fortunate  Mountain  of  Paradise.  Those  Groves,  those 
woody  V ales  afforded  a  retreat  to  the  first  of  Men.  That 
very  herbage  was  the  bed  on  which  he  reposed.  The 
stately  birds  that  move  around  us  once  held  familiar  con- 
verse with  him  and  still  mourn  the  moment  when  fiery 
seraphim  drove  him  trembling  down  yonder  declivities, 
no  more  to  taste  these  clear  fountains  or  sleep  in  his  native 
Bowers,  the  Regions  of  perpetual  Spring,  where  all  the 
dreams  of  inspired  Bards  are  realized.  I  would  tell  thee 
more,  but  mark  how  the  World  below  fades  gradually  on 
the  sight,  the  Seas  and  Rivers  begin  to  glimmer  thro'  the 
Dusk  and  catch  a  faint  beam  of  the  rising  Moon.  The 
moment  is  drawing  near  when  thy  stay  is  unlawful  and 
prophane.  This  bright  light  will  soon  yield  to  a  silver 
Dawn  and  during  the  consecrated  hours  the  spirits  of  holy 
prophets  descend  and  converse  of  Men.  I  was  once  a 
mortal ;  my  affections  still  hover  round  the  Globe  and  it  is 
with  impatience  I  wait  the  period  when  we  are  permitted 
to  discourse  on  earthly  subjects.  That  period  will  soon 
arrive  ;  for  hark,  the  Angels  who  are  directing  our  planet 
are  beginning  their  nightly  hymn.  Behold  how  the  Clouds 
fleet  that  waft  them  above  the  Poles.  Listen  !  their  Carol 
is  echoed  by  the  Mountains,  it  sounds  amongst  the  spheres. 
Hark,  it  is  answered  by  the  Guardians  of  the  Moon,  faint, 
very  faint,  is  their  melody,  how  it  dies  away  amongst 
distant  Worlds  ! 

The  spirit  ceased.  My  Soul  was  thrilled  with  the 
celestial  Choirs.  A  fresh  wind  waved  all  the  Trees  and 
ruffled  the  herbage  and  in  an  instant  Myriads  of  lovely 
forms  glanced  amongst  the  woods.  I  heard  the  Voices  of 
departed  Friends  and  tried  to  spring  towards  the  Meads 
whence  the  sounds  proceeded  ;  but  the  Breezes  that  swept 
along  the  Lawn  were  far  too  pure  for  my  mortal  frame. 
I  trembled,  my  heart  beat,  my  Arteries  throbbed,  in  vain 
I  attempted  to  join  the  beckoning  shades,  some  dreadful 
pressure  chained  me  to  the  ground,  in  vain  I  called  to 


FONTHILL 


65 


those  I  loved,  my  lamentations  and  loud  Cries  were  lost  in 
the  gales.  How  many  times  did  I  stretch  forth  my  Arms 
and  attempt  advancing — all  my  endeavours  were  fruitless, 
and,  unable  to  struggle  more,  I  sunk  beneath  my  sorrow 
and  beating  my  breast,  exclaimed — Ah,  would  that  I 
might  die !  At  length  I  found  myself  released,  and  with 
a  violent  effort  ran  or  rather  flew  upon  the  Lawn  ;  but  as 
I  advanced  the  Forms  retreated,  a  confused  murmur  of 
Rills  of  Voices  and  of  Instruments  fled  before  me,  the 
Rocks,  the  Woods,  the  whole  prospect  seemed  in  motion, 
and  as  it  floated  away  I  followed,  till,  impelled  by  the 
swiftness  of  my  steps,  1  shot  headlong  from  the  edge  of  the 
Mountain  and  kept  falling,  continually  falling,  till  lost  in 
immensity.  The  Horror  and  amazement  of  my  Descent 
dissolved  the  Dream.  I  started  up,  stared  wildly  around, 
and,  when  Sense  and  Recollection  returned,  found  myself 
extended  in  the  same  Hall,  by  the  same  Pillars  as  before, 
the  Fire  expiring  and  its  embers  just  glooming  thro'  the 
shade. 

Such  are  my  phantastic  visions  and  such  the  flights  of 
my  fancy  when  Reason  has  abandoned  it.  The  vast 
excursions  it  had  made,  the  variety  and  rapid  succession 
of  Images  and  all  the  agitation  of  my  slumbers,  fatigued 
instead  of  refreshed  me,  and,  desirous  of  more  sound 
repose,  I  stole  silently  to  Bed.  The  Storms  and  driving 
showers  soon  hushed  me  to  sleep  and  I  dreamt  no  more. 
Thus  you  see  my  Reason  or  my  fancy  is  continually 
employed,  when  abandoned  by  the  one  I  obey  the  other. 
These  two  powers  are  my  Sun  and  Moon.  The  first 
dispels  vapours  and  clears  up  the  face  of  things,  the  other 
throws  over  all  Nature  a  dim  Haze  and  maybe  styled  the 
Dream  of  Delusions.  I  should  be  too  happy  could  I 
remain  all  Winter  under  the  dominion  of  these  Sovereigns, 
lapt  in  the  silence  and  solitude  they  both  so  peculiarly 
esteem  ;  but  I  must  return  again  to  London,  again  be 
teized  with  Visits  and  dull  impertinent  Society,  again 
sufler  the  encroachments  of  Fashion  and  crouch  beneath 
the  influence  of  solemn  Idleness  and  approved  Dissipation. 
But  no,  this  is  too  terrifying  a  prospect.  I  will  break  my 
shackles  however  splendid  and  maintain  my  Allegiance.  I 
will  seclude  myself  if  possible  from  the  World,  in  the 
midst  of  the  Empire,  and  converse  many  hours  every  day 
with  you,  Mesron  and  Nouronihar.    I  am  determined  to 

E 


66  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

enjoy  my  Dreams  my  phantasies  and  all  my  singularity, 
however  irksome  and  discordant  to  the  Worldlings  around. 
In  spite  of  them  I  will  be  happy,  will  employ  myself  in  trifles, 
according  to  their  estimation  ;  and,  instead  of  making 
myself  master  of  the  present  political  state  of  America, 
instead  of  forming  wise  plans  for  its  future  subjection  or 
calculating  when  Spain  will  follow  her  Neighbor's  example, 
I  will  read,  talk  and  dream  of  the  Incas,  of  their  gentle 
empire,  the  solemn  worship  of  the  Sun,  the  charms  of 
Quito  and  the  majesty  of  the  Andes,  The  appearance  of 
Ontario  and  Niagara,  when  first  discovered,  the  Customs 
of  Viiginia,  its  lovely  savannahs,  its  Idol  Kiwasa,  the 
Tombs  of  its  Monarchs  shall  engage  my  Attention.  It 
shall  dwell  also  on  Florida  and  the  Temple  of  the  Tolo- 
meco  ;  but  it  shall  never  be  turned  towards  a  Philadelphian 
JNIeeting  house.  It  shall  sometimes  be  occupied  with  the 
expeditions  of  Columbus,  Cabral,  and  Soto,  but  never  with 
those  of  General  Gage,  I  scarce  ever  reflect  at  present  on 
the  state  of  Affairs  either  in  England  or  America.  If  I 
did,  what  should  I  encounter  but  disgust  and  Indignation  ? 
Let  me  not  conclude  with  these  disagreeable  words,  let  me 
rather  finish  by  expressing  my  Peace  and  Contentment 
here,  my  tranquil  occupations  and  undisturbed  reveries, 
my  ardent  wishes  and  desires  of  Futurity.  Farewell, 
Would  that  you  could  disengage  yourself  from  the  little 
Bustles  and  paltry  concerns  of  this  poor  world  like 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Probably  it  was  with  the  object  of  counteracting  his 
dreaminess,  and  of  making  a  man  of  the  world  of  him, 
that  Beckford  was  sent  in  the  summer  of  1779  on  a  tour 
through  England.  From  Fonthill  he  and  Lettice  went 
to  Plymouth,  then  threatened  by  the  fleets  of  France  and 
Spain,  which  were,  indeed,  visible  on  the  horizon,  while 
Sir  Charles  Hardy  and  the  vessels  under  his  command 
hugged  the  shore,  waiting  for  reinforcements  to  enable 
them  to  cope  with  the  enemies'  superior  force.  Plymouth 
was  in  a  state  of  alarm  and  suspicion,  and  Lettice, 
chancing  to  make  a  note,  was  seized  as  a  spy,  and,  with 
his  pupil,  conducted  to  the  guard- house — only,  of  course, 
to  be  released  with  apologies  when  the  mistake  was 


A  TOUR  THROUGH  ENGLAND  67 

discovered.  Beekford  paid  a  visit  to  his  relative,  Lord 
Courtenay,  at  Powderham  Castle,  near  Exeter;  and  then 
went  to  stay  with  Charles  Hamilton,  Member  of  Parlia- 
ment for  Truro,  who  lived  at  Pain's  Hill,  near  Weybridge. 
Charles  Hamilton  was  an  enthusiastic  gardener,  and  his 
estate,  we  are  told,  was  famous  for  the  magnificence  of  its 
arboreal  beauties ;  it  may  be  that  here  Beekford  first 
imbibed  the  taste  for  horticulture  that  later  caused  him  to 
design  the  wonderful  gardens  at  Fonthill.  To  trace  the 
journeys  in  detail  would  be  tedious,  for,  unfortunately, 
Beekford  kept  no  record  of  his  impressions  ;  from  Pain's 
Hill  he  went  to  Gloucester,  Worcester,  and  Birmingham ; 
he  visited  Chatsworth  and  Haddon  Hall ;  Manchester, 
Liverpool,  and  the  Lakes  ;  and  showed  particular  interest 
at  Lancaster  in  the  castle  of  John  of  Gaunt,  whom  he 
claimed  as  an  ancestor. 

In  November  (1779)  he  returned  to  Fonthill,  and 
partly  there,  and  partly  at  his  mother's  house  in  London, 
wrote  his  first  book,  the  "  Biographical  Memoirs  of 
Extraordinary  Painters."  It  is  well  in  keeping  with  the 
curious  contradictions  of  Beckford's  character,  that,  while 
his  letters  before  and  after,  and  even  while  he  was 
engaged  upon  the  "Memoirs,"  were  so  full  of  dreams, 
that  work  should  be  a  burlesque.  Hitherto  there  has 
been  some  doubt  when  the  Memoirs"  were  written, 
but  the  question  is  set  at  rest  by  the  following  hitherto 
unpublished  letters  written  by  Lettice,  when  he  was  seeing 
the  little  volume  through  the  press. 

The  Rev.  John  Lettice  to  William  Beckford 

Sid.  Coll. 

Beer.  12th,  1779. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

Last  Wednesday  I  received  your  charming  Packet 
by  the  Post,  which,  tho'  it  was  worth  everything  1  would 
pay  for  it,  might  have  been  sent  very  conveniently  in  a 


68 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


couple  of  Trunks.  It  came  most  opportunely  to  cheer 
my  Spirits  in  the  hour  of  Disappointment.  The  only  one 
of  our  College  Livings,  which  was  worth  my  wishing  for 
(most  of  them  being  pitiful  things)  is  lately  fallen,  and 
that  but  a  short  time  before  my  Senior  would  not  im- 
probably have  been  otherwise  provided  for.  As  the  case, 
stands,  however,  he  must  have  it.  After  having  waited 
for  Preferment  from  the  Society  till  many  of  my  Con- 
temporaries have  sent  their  Sons  to  College,  I  should  not 
have  desir'd  much  longer  Exercise  of  my  Patience.  All 
the  Reflection  I  have  to  make  upon  the  Matter  is,  that  I 
ought  to  possess  that  virtue  in  wonderful  Perfection.  To 
go  to  a  more  agreeeable  Subject,  Mr.  Hunter  (who  by  the 
by  is  a  very  superior  critic)  and  I  have  read  together 
Aldrovandus  and  Og  of  Basan  with  great  Delight.  I 
think  they  please  me  better  than  ever,  especially  the 
latter,  and  my  friend  is  not  a  whit  behind  me  in  admira- 
tion of  them.  I  shall  to-day  shew  them  to  several  others 
of  my  Friends.  The  Master  was  unfortunately  gone  out 
of  College  before  they  came  and  will  not  return  soon 
enough  to  read  them,  which  mortifies  me  much  ;  as  I  am 
sure  he  would  have  done  it  with  particular  pleasure. 
Hunter  and  I  have  this  moment  been  reading  the  two 
last  Lives.  We  agree  that  [illegible]  chosen  name  has 
many  charming  strokes  of  humour  in  it  and  that  Blunder- 
bussiana  is  the  Chef  d'oeuvre  of  the  whole.  I  wish  you 
would  write  two  more  Lives  and  if  they  are  as  well  done 
as  these  I  should  have  no  objection  to  Midwifing  them  to 
the  World  in  the  Spring,  if  you  have  no  one,  as  I  do  believe 
they  would  be  extremely  well  received.  We  will  talk  more 
about  it  when  I  get  to  Fonthill.  In  the  meantime  I  will 
take  care  to  give  them  such  corrections  as  they  may 
want. 

I  have  made  such  particular  enquiries  by  Letter 
relative  to  Election  interests  at  Bedford,  and  have 
received  such  full  information  that  I  do  not  find  any 
necessity  for  going  there.  I  sometime  ago  sent  my 
intelligence  to  Mr.  Wildman,  who  perhaps  may  have 
communicated  it  to  you  before  this  time.  I  shall  only 
tell  you  now  in  a  word  that  nothing  can  be  done  there 
without  a  Contest,  which  Mr.  W.  does  not  think  it  worth 
your  while  to  engage  in.  Had  things,  however,  been 
more  promising  all  your  Schemes  might  be  disarranged 


"EXTRAORDINARY  PAINTERS"  69 


by  a  Dissolution  of  Parliament,  which  some  people  seem 
to  think  may  still  take  place. 

I  have  employed  myself  a  great  deal  since  my 
Residence.  I  have  abridged  almost  every  Paragraph  of 
Hume's  Dialogues,  that  I  might  do  him  no  injustice  in 
the  Examination  I  meant  to  give  them.  I  have  since 
composed  three  discourses,  two  of  them  against  the 
Principles  of  this  Book.  One  1  have  already  preach'd 
before  the  University  and  am  much  encouraged  to  wish 
for  an  Opportunity  of  preaching  the  second  by  the 
Reception  which  was  given  the  first.  I  am  advised  to 
publish  them,  and  perhaps  shall  think  of  it.  It  can  never 
be  amiss  to  give  my  Friends  an  Opportunity  of  saying  that 
I  have  written  in  Defence  of  Religion. — I  have  many 
Compliments  for  you  here,  and  I  beg  you  to  present  mine 
to  Mrs.  Beckford  and  the  Ladies  whom  I  have  the  honour 
to  know  at  Fonthill.  Blomberg  would  be  very  happy  to 
wait  upon  you,  but  fears  it  will  be  impossible.  I  have 
not  seen  Mr.  Phipps  since  yours.  I  propose  leaving 
Cambridge  about  the  20th,  and  being  at  Fonthill 
the  28th. 

I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Most  afFectly.  yours, 

J.  LETTICE. 

The  Rev.  John  Lettice  to  William  Beckford 

Many  thanks  to  you,  my  dear  Sir,  for  your  two  last 
letters.  The  former  of  them  brought  charming  enter- 
tainment. The  Rookery  part  of  that  letter  gives  me  new 
delight  whenever  I  read  it.  I  have  shewn  it  yet  but  to 
one  of  my  friends  (the  most  critical  among  them)  and  he 
admires  it  highly.  I  mean  to  show  it  but  to  one  or  two 
more,  for  as  I  think  the  beauties  of  no  common  sort,  I  do 
not  imagine  common  readers  entirely  competent  to  [judge] 
them.  I  have  shewn  Watersouchy  to  nobody  ;  because  it 
might  make  the  publication  of  the  lives  less  a  secret  than 
we  wish  it  to  be.  I  like  it  perfectly  well,  now  I  see  it 
written  out  fair,  and  do  not  think  it  any  way  unworthy  to 
appear  among  the  rest.  It  was  unlucky  that  Hemmelinck 
did  not  come  rightly  spelt  in  your  manuscript,  as  the 
printer  has  not  sufficient  types  of  the  sort  we  use  to  let 
his  press  stand  more  than  a  couple  of  days ;  so  we  were 


/ 


70  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

obliged  to  let  it  stand  Hemme/m^'.  It  will  not  however 
signify  much,  if  we  correct  it  in  the  errata,  which  I  will 
take  care  to  do.  The  printer  promised  faithfully  to  finish 
by  the  10th  April,  so  that  I  doubt  not  having  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you  in  town  on  that  day  or  the  next. 

•  •  •  •  • 

I  beg  complts.  to  the  ladies  and  remain.  Dear  Sir, 
most  afFectly.  your  much  obliged  &c.  &c., 

Sid.  Coll.,  Mar.  23  [l780].  J.  LETTICE. 

Lettice,  who  enjoyed  a  well-earned  holiday  while 
his  pupil  was  with  Mrs.  Beckford,  was  evidently  much 
pleased  with  the  juvenile  effort,  and  took  very  seriously 
his  task  of  correcting  the  proofs  and  such  other  duties  in 
connection  with  the  book  as  fell  to  his  lot.  He  it  was, 
too,  who  wrote  the  "  Advertisement  that  supplied  the 
place  of  a  preface,"  and  in  these  lines  may  be  read  the 
pride  he  had  in  the  lad  whose  education  he  had  directed. 

The  editor  of  the  following  pieces  is  in  possession  of 
some  particulars  relative  to  the  author,  which,  he  has 
reason  to  think,  might  interest  the  curiosity  of  a  respect- 
able class  of  readers,  and  even  prepossess  them  in  favour 
of  the  publication.  As,  however,  an  impartial  judgment 
on  its  merits  is  wished  for,  and  the  editor's  availing  him- 
self of  such  an  advantage  might  suggest  the  idea  of 
attempting  to  bias  the  public  opinion,  no  communication 
of  the  sort  is  allowed.  Permission  could  not  be  obtained 
to  mention  even  the  particular  age  at  which  the  author 
wrote  these  pieces.  It  was  in  vain  the  editor's  partiality 
for  them  induced  him  to  express  something  more  than 
hope,  that  their  merits  with  the  public  might  rest  little  on 
that  circumstance.  For  he  has  ever  been  persuaded,  that 
the  success  of  the  most  admired  productions  of  the  in- 
genium  precox,  at  least  in  our  own  language,  has  been 
much  more  owing  to  their  intrinsic  worth,  than  to  the 
period  of  life  at  which  they  were  written.  His  principal 
motive,  tlierefore,  could  he  have  imparted  the  particular 
last  alluded  to,  had  been  only  to  contribute  one  fact  more 
towards  the  science  of  human  nature.  The  author's  deli- 
cacy, however,  was  not  to  be  overcome,  and  to  that  must 


"EXTRAORDINARY  PAINTERS"  71 

be  attributed  the  air  of  mystery,  which,  it  is  feared,  may 
discover  itself  in  introducing  this  publication  to  the  world. 

Whatever  merit  the  plan  of  the  following  work  may 
be  thought  to  want  in  some  respects,  it  is  at  least  pre- 
sumed to  be  new;  and  perhaps  a  better  could  not  have 
been  found  for  the  display  of  a  picturesque  imagination. 
It  was  the  design  of  the  writer  to  exhibit  striking  objects 
both  of  nature  and  art,  together  with  some  sketches  of 
human  life  and  manners,  through  a  more  original  medium 
than  those  usually  adopted  in  the  walk  of  novel-writing 
and  romance.  How  far  the  attempt  has  succeeded  is  now 
left  to  the  candid  decision  of  the  public. 

THE  EDITOR. 

"  I  will  explain  the  origin  of  the  '  Memoirs,' "  Beckford 
said  to  Cyrus  Redding  in  1835,  fifty-five  years  after  its 
publication.  "  The  housekeeper  at  old  Fonthill,  as  is 
customary,  used  to  get  her  fee  by  exhibiting  the  pictures 
to  those  who  came  to  see  the  building.  Once  or  twice  I 
heard  her  give  the  most  extraordinary  names  to  different 
artists.  I  wondered  how  such  nonsense  could  enter  the 
brain  of  woman.  More  than  this,  in  her  conceit  she  would 
at  times  expatiate  upon  excellencies  of  which  the  picture 
before  her  had  no  trace.  The  temptation  was  irresistible 
in  my  humour.  I  was  but  seventeen.  My  pen  was 
quickly  in  hand  composing  the  '  Memoirs.'  In  future  the 
housekeeper  had  a  printed  guide  in  aid  of  her  descrip- 
tions. She  caught  up  my  phrases ;  the  fictitious  names 
of  the  wives,  too,  whom  I  had  given  to  my  imaginary 
painters,  were  soon  learned  in  addition ;  her  descriptions 
became  more  picturesque,  her  language  more  graphic 
than  ever,  to  the  sight-seeing  people.  Mine  was  the  text- 
book, whoever  exhibited  the  paintings.  The  book  was 
soon  on  the  tongues  of  all  the  domestics.  Many  were 
the  quotations  current  upon  the  merits  of  Og  of  Basan 
and  Watersouchy  of  Amsterdam.  Before  a  picture  of 
Rubens  or  Murillo  there  was  often  a  charming  disserta- 
tion upon  the  pencil  of  Herr  Sucrewasser  of  Vienna,  or 
that  great  artist  Blunderbussiana  of  Venice.    I  used  to 


72  WILLTAM  BECKFORD 

listen  unobserved  until  1  was  ready  to  kill  myself  with 
laughing,  at  the  authorities  quoted  to  the  squires  and 
farmers  of  Wiltshire,  who  took  all  for  gospel.  It  was  the 
most  ridiculous  thing  in  effect  you  can  conceive.  Between 
sixty  and  seventy  years  ago  people  did  not  know  as  much 
of  the  fine  arts  as  they  do  now.  Not  but  that  they  have 
still  much  to  learn." 

The  biographies  of  Aldrovandus  Magnus  of  Bruges,  of 
Andrew  Guelph  and  Og  of  Basan,  disciples  of  the  former, 
of  Sucrewasser  of  Vienna,  Blunderbussiana  of  Dalmatia, 
and  Watersouchy  of  Amsterdam  make  up,  as  the  author 
said  in  his  last  years,  "  a  laughable  book,"  but,  indeed,  it 
is  more  than  that,  for  it  contains  much  brilliant  satire  on 
the  Dutch  and  Flemish  schools,  showing  that  the  writer, 
although  so  young,  had  profited  by  his  early  training  in 
art.  "  (It  is)  a  performance,"  Lockhart  wrote  in  1834,  "  in 
which  the  buoyancy  of  juvenile  spirits  sees  of  the  results 
of  already  extensive  observation,  and  the  judgments  of  a 
refined  (though  far  too  fastidious  and  exclusive)  taste." 
The  "  Memoirs  "  were  pubhshed  anonymously  in  1780,  but 
as  they  have  not  been  republished  since  1834,  and  are 
probably  unknown  to  the  majority  of  readers,  it  is  perhaps 
legitimate  to  reprint  the  briefest  of  the  biographies. 

Our  readers  must  now  be  presented  with  scenes  and 
occurrences  widely  differing  from  those  which  last  we 
placed  before  them.  They  will  no  longer  behold  an  artist, 
consumed  by  the  fervour  of  his  genius  and  bewildered  by 
the  charms  of  his  imagination  ;  but  the  most  prudent  and 
sage  amongst  them  will  admire  the  regular  and  consistent 
conduct  of  Sucrewasser,  which  forms  a  striking  contrast  to 
the  eccentricity  of  Og. 

The  family  of  the  Sucrewassers  had  long  been  estab- 
lished at  Vienna  ;  they  had  kept  a  grocer's  shop,  which 
descended  from  father  to  son  thro'  a  course  of  many 
generations.  The  father  of  our  artist  exercised  his  heredi- 
tary business  with  the  same  probity  as  his  ancestors.  His 
mother,  the  daughter  of  a  Lombard  pawnbroker,  was  the 
best  sort  of  woman  in  the  world,  and  had  no  other  fault 


"SUCREWASSEIl  OF  VIENNA"  73 


than  loving  wine  and  two  or  three  men  besides  her  hus- 
band. Young  Sucrewasser  was  invested,  at  the  age  of  six 
years,  with  the  family  apron,  and  after  having  performed 
errands  for  some  time,  was  admitted  to  the  desk  at  twelve  ; 
but  discovering  a  much  greater  inclination  for  designing 
the  passengers,  which  were  walking  to  and  fro  before  the 
window  where  he  was  doomed  to  sit,  than  noting  the 
articles  of  his  father's  commerce  in  his  book,  he  was  bound 
apprentice  to  an  uncle  of  his  mother,  who  painted  heraldry 
for  the  Imperial  Court,  and  his  brother  was  promoted  to 
the  desk  in  his  room.  Sucrewasser  took  great  delight  in 
his  new  situation,  and  learnt,  with  success,  to  bestow  due 
strength  on  a  lion's  paw,  and  give  a  courtly  flourish  to  a 
dragon's  tail.  His  eagles  began  to  be  remarked  for  the 
justness  of  their  proportions  and  for  the  neatness  of  their 
plumage  ;  in  short,  an  Italian  painter,  by  name  Insignifi- 
canti,  remarked  the  delicacy  of  his  pencil,  and  was  resolved 
to  obtain  him  for  his  scholar.  The  youth,  finding  himself 
in  a  comfortable  habitation  with  a  kind  uncle,  who  was  in 
a  thriving  way,  and  who  offered  him  a  share  in  his  business 
when  the  time  of  his  apprenticeship  should  expire,  expressed 
no  great  desire  to  place  himself  under  the  tuition  of  Insig- 
nificanti ;  but  as  that  painter  had  acquired  a  very  splendid 
reputation,  and  was  esteemed  exceedingly  rich,  his  parents 
commanded  him  to  accept  the  offer,  and  Sucrewasser  never 
disobeyed.  He  remained  two  or  three  years  with  this 
master,  which  he  employed  in  faithfully  copying  his  works  ; 
generally  small  landscapes,  with  shepherds  and  shep- 
herdesses feeding  their  flocks,  or  piping  under  Arcadian 
shades.  These  pieces  pleased  the  world  in  general  and 
sold  well,  which  was  all  Insignificanti  desired,  and  Sucre- 
wasser had  no  other  ambition  than  that  of  his  master. 
The  greatest  harmony  subsisted  between  them  till  three 
years  were  expired. 

About  this  time  the  Princess  Dolgoruki,  then  at  the 
Court  of  Vienna,  selected  Insignificanti  and  his  pupil  to 
paint  her  favourite  lap-dog,  whose  pendent  ears  and  beau- 
tifully curling  tail  seemed  to  call  loudly  for  a  portrait. 
Insignificanti,  before  he  began  the  picture,  asked  his  pupil, 
with  all  the  mildness  of  condescension,  Whether  he  did 
not  approve  his  intention  of  placing  the  dog  on  a  red 
velvet  cushion.  Sucrewasser  replied  gently,  that  he 
presumed  a  blue  one  would  produce  a  much  finer  effect. 


/ 


74  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

His  master,  surprized  to  find  this  difference  of  opinion, 
elevated  his  voice,  and  exclaimed,  Aye,  but  I  propose 
adding  a  gold  fringe,  which  shall  display  all  the  perfection 
of  my  art ;  all  the  feeling  delicacy  of  my  pencil ;  but,  hark 
you  !  I  desire  you  w^ill  abstain  from  spoiling  this  part  of 
the  picture  with  your  gross  touch,  and  never  maintain 
again  that  blue  will  admit  of  half  the  splendor  of  red." 
These  last  words  were  pronounced  with  such  energy,  that 
Sucrewasser  laid  down  his  pencil,  and  begged  leave  to  quit 
his  master ;  who  soon  consented,  as  he  feared  Sucrewasser 
would  surpass  him  in  a  very  short  space  of  time.  The 
young  man  was  but  coolly  received  by  his  parents,  who 
ehided  him  for  abandoning  his  master;  but  when  they 
perceived  his  performances  sold  as  well  as  before  this 
rupture,  their  anger  ceased,  and  they  permitted  him  to 
travel  to  Venice,  after  having  bestowed  on  him  their 
benediction  with  the  greatest  cordiality. 

His  route  lay  through  some  very  romantic  country, 
which  he  never  deigned  to  regard,  modestly  conjecturing 
he  was  not  yet  worthy  to  copy  nature  ;  so  without  stray- 
ing either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  he  arrived  at  Venice 
in  perfect  health,  and  recommended  himself  first  to  the 
public  by  painting  in  fresco  on  the  walls  of  some  casinos. 
The  subjects  were  either  the  four  Seasons  or  the  three 
Graces.  Now  and  then  a  few  blind  Cupids,  and  some- 
times a  lean  Fury,  by  way  of  variety.  The  colouring  was 
gay  and  tender,  and  the  drawing  correct.  The  faces  were 
pretty  uniform  and  had  all  the  most  delightful  smirk 
imaginable ;  even  his  Furies  looked  as  if  they  were  half 
inclined  to  throw  their  torches  into  the  water,  and  the 
serpents  around  their  temples  were  as  mild  as  eels.  Many 
ladies  stiled  him  Pittore  amabile,  and  many  gentlemen  had 
their  snuff-boxes  painted  by  his  hand.  He  lived  happily 
and  contentedly  till  he  became  acquainted  with  Soorcrout, 
who  was  a  great  admirer  of  Titian,  and  advised  him  by  all 
means  to  copy  his  performances ;  and  as  he  generally  fol- 
lowed the  advice  of  those  who  thought  it  worth  their  while 
to  give  him  any,  he  immediately  set  about  it,  but  did  not 
profit  so  much  as  he  expected.  It  was  Soorcrout  who 
engaged  him  in  that  unlucky  dispute  with  Og  of  Basan 
and  Andrew  Guelph ;  a  controversy  which  lowered  them 
considerably  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  forfeited  them 
the  protection  of  Signor  Boccadolce. 


FONTHILL 


75 


After  this  disgrace,  Soorcrout  went  to  England,  and 
Sucrewasser  loitered  in  the  environs  of  Venice  till  the 
storm  was  blown  over.  He  then  returned,  lived  peace- 
ably there  many  years,  and  died  at  length  of  a  cold  he 
caught  at  a  party  on  the  water.  His  most  splendid  per- 
formance, Salome,  mother  of  the  Maccabees,  which  he 
imitated  from  Titian,  was  sold  by  Soorcrout  in  England. 

Here  may  be  inserted  another  series  of  letters,  showing 
the  same  traits  that  distinguished  those  written  at  Geneva, 
and  from  them  may  be  constructed  a  picture  of  the  lad, 
now  twenty  years  of  age,  moody,  dreamy,  indulging  a 
vivid  imagination,  yet  saved  from  morbidness  by  the  keen 
sense  of  the  ridiculous  that  inspired  the  Memoirs." 

FoNTHiLL,  Friday  8.  o'clock  Eve. 
Beer.  3rd,  1779. 

The  Winds  are  whispering  to  me  the  strangest  things 
in  the  Universe  and  my  ear  is  filled  with  aerial  Conversa- 
tions. What  a  multitude  of  Voices  are  borne  on  that 
blast  from  afar !  .  .  .  I  walk  to  and  fro  in  my  Cell  and 
fancy  myself  in  the  Caverns  of  Chehabeddin  where  every 
volume  contained  a  Spirit.  I  lay  my  Ear  close  to  them, 
listen  and  seem  barkening  to  significant  murmurs.  The 
Soul  of  Plato  talks  to  me  from  the  Leaves,  Homer  gives 
responses — I  am  awed,  I  tremble — and  wait  their  Dictates 
in  respectful  silence. 

The  Fires  and  Lamps  burn  around  in  Stillness,  and  it 
is  this  sacred  Calm  which  invites  departed  Sages  to  my 
Cell.  No  one  enters  this  Apartment,  its  Solitude  is  now 
unviolated.  I  alone  am  conscious  what  Treasures  of 
Literature  are  deposited  on  every  side  and  what  exquisite 
productions  of  Art  lie  hid  in  its  recesses.  Here  I  pass 
whole  hours  in  pleasing  Dreams  and  employ  my  Majic 
Solely  to  raise  Illusions. 

Innumerable  Phantoms  continually  hover  around  me 
and  the  most  splendid  scenes  instantaneously  appear  at 
my  Command.  Your  sunset  is  the  Talisman  which  trans- 
ports me  to  Hesperia  and  under  the  auspices  of  your 
pencil  I  ascend  Mount  Atlas  and  watch  the  last  blushes 
of  Day  from  its  exalted  Summit.  I  have  lately  committed 
myself  to  the  guidance  of  Voyagers  and  followed  them 


76  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


over  vast  Oceans  to  distant  Climates  where  my  exotic 
Inclinations  are  satisfied  ;  but  what  would  be  my  joy  were 
you  to  accompany  me.  Must  I  give  up  all  Hope  of 
seeing  you  this  Winter  in  the  Hall  of  the  Pyramid  ? 
Must  I  renounce  this  inexpressible  satisfaction  ?  I  cannot 
— I  will  not — Think  how  we  should  exult  at  finding  our- 
selves in  arched  Chambers  glowing  with  yellow  light — 
amidst  Vases  formed  in  another  Hemisphere — and  Caba- 
listic Mirrors  wherein  Futurity  is  unveiled. 

Let  me  intreat  you  not  to  refuse  my  Solicitations  but 
come  (if  only  for  a  Day)  and  let  us  converse  once  more 
together  in  the  Peaceful  Palace — in  the  interior  Cell, 
where  none  but  Holy  Spirits  can  hear  our  Discourse. 
There  in  that  still  retreat — let  me  tell  you  all  I  feel — let 
me  confess  to  you  the  sorrows  that  prey  upon  my  mind 
and  own  how  hopeless,  how  dejected  I  am — You  can  pity 
me — you  have  felt  the  misery  of  being  separated  from  all 
one  loves — you  can  share  my  afflictions  when  I  disclose  my 
disappointment  and  when  1  say — It  is  in  vain  these  Vases 
are  ranged  in  the  loveliest  Order — and  filled  with  the 
perfume  of  Roses— in  vain  this  whole  Apartment  is  spread 
with  the  richest  Carpets  and  glows  with  the  softest  Light 
— those  Eyes  are  not  destined  to  survey  it  on  which  I 
could  gaze  for  ever. 

Adieu — remember  me  and  write  immediately.  A  Letter 
from  you  will  be  my  greatest  Consolation.  I  desire  this 
Letter  may  be  sacred  and  be  neither  read  to  or  be  seen  by 
anyone.  There  is  a  Book  called  the  Sorrows  of  Werter ; 
read  it  and  tell  me  if  every  Line  is  not  resplendent  with 
Genius. 

Bee,  18,  1779. 

Fonthill  is  at  present  in  all  the  Majesty  of  Mud,  Lap 
Dogs,  and  Bridgemans  in  every  corner. — Miss  Ellis  in  the 
midst  equally  dispensing  her  favors  and  dealing  about  ready 
made  Wit  and  facetiousness  in  profusion  at  a  very  easy 
rate.  .  .  .  G.  S.  is  just  arrived  and  I  am  almost  out  of  my 
senses. — There  is  such  a  confusion  and  such  a  tattling. — 
O  Lord,  what  would  I  give  to  be  in  that  New  Jerusalem 
where  blessed  Spirits  glide  slipshod  about  without  making 
the  least  disturbance — How  often  when  angered  by 
stupidity  in  every  shape,  have  I  wished  for  the  little  C, 
that  child,  who,  I  can  assure  you,  has  five  times  the  sense, 


FONTHILL 


77 


taste,  and  discernment  of  the  whole  circle  put  together 
in  which  I  am  at  present  fated  to  move.  But  one  must 
look  forward  to  better  times,  as  a  neighbour  of  ours 
observeth. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens  * 

FoNTHiLL,  9  at  Night,  Deer.  ^Uh, 
1779. 

Since  the  receipt  of  your  last  Letter  I  have  not  looked 
upon  the  Egyptian  Hall  with  the  same  pleasure  as  before 
or  enjoyed  the  glow  of  the  Central  Fire.  What  are  the 
Indian  Apartments  to  me,  now  I  am  assured  you  cannot 
view  them  ?  You  would  pity  me,  could  some  Spirit 
transport  you  to  this  solitary  Chamber  where  I  lie 
stretched  on  the  Carpets — pining. 

The  animated  trivets  and  footstools  that  amble  around 
me  put  me  out  of  all  patience.  Last  Night,  tired  with 
their  impertinence  I  stole  from  the  Saloon  and  led  by  a 
glimpse  of  moonshine  between  the  Arches  of  the  Egyp- 
tian Hall,  went  out  at  the  southern  portal.  The  dissolu- 
tion of  the  snows  next  the  pavement  had  left  round  it  a 
circle  of  verdure,  beyond  which  all  was  whiteness  and 
grey  mist  that,  rising  from  the  waters  and  spreading  over 
the  Lawn,  seemed  to  enclose  the  peaceful  Palace  on  every 
side.  Thro'  the  medium  of  these  Vapours  the  moon  cast 
a  dim  blueish  light  just  sufficient  to  discover  the  surround- 
ing Woods  changed  into  groves  of  Coral.  I  was  so 
charmed  with  the  novelty  of  the  prospect  that  setting  the 
cold  at  defiance,  I  walked  to  and  fro  on  the  platform  for 
several  minutes,  fancying  the  fictions  of  romance  realised, 
and  almost  imagining  myself  surrounded  by  some  won- 
drous misty  barrier  no  prophane  could  penetrate.  How 
I  wished  for  my  dear  Wm.  to  share  with  me  this 
imaginary  but  delightful  confinement. 

FoNTHiLL,  Beer,  29th,  1779. 

My  cares  have  been  a  little  while  suspended — for  I 
have  been  listening  these  several  Evenings  to  plaintive 
Sicilian  Airs.    You  can  hardly  believe  what  a  melancholy 

*  Alexander  Cozens  (d.  1786),  landscape  painter  in  water-colours,  the 
father  of  John  Robert  Cozens  (1752-1799). 


78  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


has  of  late  possessed  me.  My  ideas  of  Happiness  are  at 
length  very  simple,  for  they  consist  alone  in  a  secure 
retirement  with  the  one  I  love.  I  have  not  spirits  to  write 
ten  Lines — My  only  consolation  is  to  hear  Louisa  and  her 
Sister  sing.  Never  could  I  have  believed  myself  so  entirely 
subdued — by  whom  you  solely  are  acquainted.  I  wonder 
at  myself  every  instant  and  only  wish  you  was  here  to  be 
surprized  at  me — One  moment  I  am  for  flying  into  .  .  . 
the  next  .  .  .  my  Cheeks  glow  and  I  determine  to  remain 
immured  in  my  Cell.  Is  it  possible  that  a  few  Weeks' 
absence  can  have  produced  such  effects — can  have  ren- 
dered me  so  miserable — Am  I  not  the  strangest  of  Beings  ? 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

FoNTHiLL,  Jani/.j  1780. 

Every  Day  have  I  been  waiting  impatiently  to  hear 
from  you,  my  lovely  Louisa,  and  every  Post  has  brought 
me  some  new  disappointment.  Fonthill  is  darkly  shaded 
and  all  its  charms  overcast  since  no  Letters  have  arrived 
from  you.  It  is  in  your  power  by  writing  a  Talisman  to 
dissipate  the  gloom  of  its  Cells,  and  will  you  refuse  this 
consolation  ?  I  fancy  I  am  not  the  least  altered  if  you 
are  not — the  same  genuine  melancholy  and  thorough 
contempt  of  the  World  inspires  me  to  remain  in  solitude 
and  silence.  Visions  play  around  me  and  at  some  solemn 
moments  I  am  cast  into  prophetic  Trances.  Lost  in 
Dreams  and  majic  slumbers  my  Hours  glide  swiftly  away. 
I  have  none  to  awaken  me — none  to  sympathize  with  my 
feelings.  Those  I  love  are  absent.  Thus  desolate  and 
abandoned  I  seek  refuge  in  aerial  conversations  and  talk 
with  spirits  whose  voices  are  murmuring  in  the  Gales. 
They  are  my  Counsellors — from  them  I  hear  of  past  and 
future  events — they  sing  of  departed  Seers  and  Heroes 
and  bring  me  indian  Intelligence, — but  not  one  Syllable 
have  they  whispered  about  you — why  then  are  you  the 
only  superior  Being — who  is  deaf  to  me  and  silent  ? 

By  neglecting  incantations  my  Wand  has  lost  its 
powers.  Were  I  endowed  with  the  skill  of  Avicenna  it 
should  summon  Genii  to  whaft  us  to  Hesperian  Countries. 
There  should  we  discover  the  only  Human  Being  who 
is  worthy  of  our  discourse — moving  amongst  the  woody 
Dells  and  calling  us  to  enter  their  Shades. 


FONTHILL 


79 


William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

FoNTHiLL,  Fehy.  6th,  1780. 

I  share  the  same  low  Spirits  which  haunt  my  Friend 
and  sincerely  sympathize  with  his  dejection.  You  have 
made  me  quite  uneasy  and  I  shall  be  miserable  till  I  know 
what  affects  you  so  sadly.  Your  concerns  always  become 
my  own.  How  sorry  1  am  not  to  have  the  power  of 
transporting  myself  to  you  and  of  attempting  at  least  to 
dissipate  your  gloom.  That  employment  alone  could 
cheer  me  or  divert  the  deep  melancholy  into  which  I  am 
plunged.  My  own  sorrows  would  vanish  before  yours  .  .  . ; 
but  still  I  fear  I  should  prove  a  forlorn  Comforter  de- 
pressed and  languid  as  I  am, — nor  will  you  wonder  at  my 
being  so — when  you  consider  my  dreary  situation.  I  have 
no  one  to  speak  to  in  my  own  Language — whichever  way  I 
turn — none  present  themselves  in  whom  I  can  place  the 
least  confidence  or  to  whom  I  can  express  my  sensations. 

I  look  eagerly  for  the  approach  of  Spring  and  watch 
every  swelling  bud  with  the  most  anxious  impatience. 
You  know  I  resolved  to  remain  here  the  whole  winter — 
alas,  when  1  formed  and  communicated  that  resolution — 
I  had  the  pleasing  hopes  of  passing  many  Hours  with  the 
one  who  loved  me  so  tenderly — and  sometimes  you  know 
I  flattered  myself  with  the  idea  of  enjoying  your  company, 
but  when  I  found  this  happy  prospect  vanishing  away, 
I  began  to  pine  like  those  miserable  Indians  we  saw  last 
Winter  torn  from  their  native  Regions  and  shivering  in 
the  midst  of  Franguistan,  cold  gloomy  Country — certainly 
we  were  not  meant  to  inhabit  it — we  should  have  been 
born  in  some  retired  region  of  Mount  Atlas  where  we 
might  have  passed  our  days  with  a  harmless  race  of 
Savages  happy  in  their  ignorance  and  fortunate  in  cloud- 
less Skies  and  perpetual  Sunshine.  I  have  no  more  Spirits 
at  present  for  writing  than  you  have — all  my  consolation 
is  centred  in  Fingal  and  the  wild  musick  of  the  Winds. 
I  sit  for  Hours  listening  to  the  murmurs  of  Night — the 
passing  breeze  and  distant  Waterfall.  'Tis  my  Solitude 
makes  me  happy,  were  you  here  I  should  cease  to  complain. 
1  should  then  revive — Your  kindness  in  writing  only  those 
few  lines  affected  me  beyond  expression.  I  require  no 
more.  To  hear  you  are  less  dejected  will  be  the  most 
agreeable  tidings  that  can  reach  my  wilderness — forget  not 


/ 


80  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

to  send  them  immediately.  Your  Son,  I  suppose,  is 
pretty  far  advanced  in  finishing  the  drawings — I  am  im- 
patient to  see  them ;  but  I  must  not  name  the  word 
Impatience,  least  I  abandon  myself  intirely  to  its  influence. 
How  I  long  to  see  you  to  tell  you  a  thousand  things  I 
cannot  write.  Indeed,  you  are  the  only  Being  upon  this 
Planet  in  whose  bosom  I  can  deposite  every  thought 
which  enters  mine. 

FoNTHiLL,  March,  1780. 

I  was  traversing  a  Wood  in  the  Regions  of  perpetual 
Spring  when  a  gale  shook  a  little  Cloud  of  blossoms  from 
the  branches,  so  beautiful  and  fragrant  that  I  collected 
them  and  to  my  surprise  found  your  Letter  almost  con- 
cealed by  Rose  Leaves.  The  Genius  of  some  eastern 
Wind  had  whafted  it  along.  Immediately  I  laid  myself 
down  beneath  a  tall  Acacia  and  read  its  poetic  contents 
with  rapture.  How  pure  !  How  truly  oriental !  Indeed 
I  believed  it  dated  from  Sanna  or  Hisvi  al  mowdhab,  the 
Castle  of  Delights.  This  must  be  an  Arabian  Composi- 
tion, said  I  within  myself,  it  breathes  all  the  odours  of  that 
happy  Country  and  I  inhale  them,  tho'  surrounded  by  per- 
fumes ;  for  you  must  know  I  have  left  Fonthill  sometime 
and  have  been  transported  to  Ginnistan, 

One  Evening  as  I  took  my  solitary  Ramble  over  the 
Hills,  sad  and  pensive,  mourning  the  absence  of  those  I 
love,  the  Sunset  grew  inconceivably  splendid— the  Caves 
of  the  sleepers  were  illuminated  with  the  liveliest  Red  I 
ever  beheld  and  the  Country  far  around  partook  of  the 
Refulgence.  Not  long  could  I  contemplate  the  effect  of 
this  sudden  Gleam ;  for  the  Clouds  descending  encircled 
the  Spot  on  which  I  stood.  Judge  of  my  astonishment 
and  whether  it  decreased  when  a  melodious  Voice  whis- 
pered the  words  in  my  Ears,  "  Consider  how  fleeting  is 
the  breath  of  Life  !• — why  then  must  that  fleeting  breath 
be  wasted  in  vain  Lamentations  ?  Thou  art  approaching, 
O  Mortal,  each  Hour  to  the  fatal  Boundary — beyond 
which  are  Regions  whose  mysteries  it  is  not  lawful  to 
reveal.  Till  then  bathe  thy  Spirits  in  delight  and  follow 
us  to  our  Meads  on  the  Summit  of  Amara,  where  thou 
may'st  sleep  undisturbed  on  the  freshest  Herbage  till 
Winter  is  pass'd  away." 

Can  you  suppose  I  rejected  so  benign  a  proffer? — 
Without  hesitation  I  committed  myself  to  the  warm 


FONTHILL 


81 


Vapour  that,  drawing  nearer  and  nearer,  gilt  the  slopes 
of  the  Hills  and  investing  me  bore  me  I  know  not  how 
into  the  Air.  For  several  minutes  1  seemed  ascending 
amongst  Clouds  of  ruddy  glowing  Colours  which  con- 
cealed every  other  object  from  my  Sight.  All  was  still- 
ness in  this  aerial  journey  except  when  the  soft  voice  I  had 
heard  before  sung  that  verse  of  MesiMs  you  have  known 
me  so  frequently  admire. 

Be  gay — too  soon  the  flowers  of  Spring  will  fade. 

This  gentle  admonition  was  repeated  to  me  again  and 
again ;  but  with  such  infinitely  varied  cadence  and  har- 
monious modulation  that  I  was  grieved  when  it  sounded 
no  more.  Just  as  it  ceased,  the  Vapours  dissipated,  I 
found  myself  in  the  same  delicious  Landscape  to  which  I 
was  conveyed  last  Winter  in  a  Dream.  Perhaps  you 
recollect  the  description  I  sent  you  of  it  when  awaken'd 
from  my  Trance,  and  in  that  case  another  will  be  tedious. 
It  is  sufficient  for  me  to  tell  you  that  I  pass  my  time  in 
Slumbers  truly  fortunate,  since  during  their  influence  I 
forget  that  cruel  separation  which  so  lately  filled  my  Eyes 
with  Tears.  None  interrupt  my  repose,  no  other  noise  is 
audible  in  this  calm  retreat  but  the  lapse  of  distant  Rills 
trickling  down  its  craggy  promontories.  Sometimes 
methinks  I  can  distinguish  the  voices  of  those  invisible 
Beings  who  brought  me  hither  amongst  the  whispers  of 
the  Groves  ;  but  of  this  I  am  not  quite  certain,  so  faint  is 
their  melody.  Everything  in  my  present  Visionary  state 
is  undecided,  nor  can  I  properly  be  said  to  hear  distinctly 
or  behold  with  clearness.  Sounds  reach  me  in  confused 
but  soothing  murmurs  and  I  survey  the  surrounding 
objects  with  Eyes  half  closed.  To  Day,  however,  the 
charm  is  somewhat  broken,  and  rising  from  my  verdant 
Couch  I  crossed  the  Lawn  which  forms  the  Summit  of 
Amara,  A  Brook  gurgling  over  some  shining  pebbles 
invited  me  to  drink  by  its  uncommon  clearness.  Never 
did  I  taste  such  limpid  Waters  !  The  refreshment  they 
gave  my  whole  frame  cannot  be  described.  In  these 
moments  I  was  more  than  Mortal  and  fancied  I  had 
drank  at  the  celestial  Fountain.  As  I  was  going  once 
more  to  dip  my  hand  into  the  stream,  I  seemed  to  hear  the 
voice  of  my  invisible  Protectors  in  the  impending  Grove. 

F 


82  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Instantly  I  ran  to  the  Spot  from  whence  methought  these 
sounds  proceeded,  but  alas,  a  deep  silence  again  prevailed 
save  when  the  Wind  blew  gently  one  bough  against 
another.  At  this  instant  a  sudden  rustling  seiz'd  the 
Leaves,  the  blossoms  fell  and  amongst  them  I  found 
your  Letter.  Were  you  but  fully  sensible  of  the  plea- 
sures I  received  from  its  perusal  you  would  not  so  seldom 
write,  and  tho'  the  space  which  parts  us  is  immense  I  am 
sure  to  receive  whatever  you  send  me.  Only  walk  after 
Sunset  in  some  green  Meadow  and  when  the  twilight 
breeze  flows  freely  from  the  West,  stretch  out  your  hand 
and  trust  your  Letter  to  its  guidance.  I  would  feign 
relate  a  thousand  circumstances  of  my  present  Situation 
and  attempt  describing  the  Scenes  upon  which  I  gaze  at 
this  moment ;  but  the  favourable  Wind  has  already  risen 
and  plays  with  my  paper  as  if  impatient  to  bear  it  away. 
Some  powerful  Being  directs  and  I  dare  not  murmur. 
Adieu,  think  often  of  me  ;  but  require  no  further  informa- 
tion. During  these  waking  intervals  I  miss  the  lovely 
[illegible]  whose  presence  is  my  sovereign  joy :  that  thought 
is  attended  with  many  sighs.  But  soon  I  shall  seek  refuge 
in  my  grassy  Bed,  'tis  then  the  softest  Slumbers  steal 
o'er  my  senses.  Even  now  I  feel  their  approach — O  may 
they  never  be  dispelled  till  Fate  permits  my  gazing  at 
least  a  few  fond  moments  on  the  one  I  love. 

FoNTHiLL,  March  1780. 

My  situation  is  sad  and  solitary.  I  stray  disconso- 
lately on  the  Rocks  by  the  Caves  of  the  Sleepers  scarcely 
knowing  which  way  to  bend  my  steps.  I  look  around 
and  all  is  a  perfect  void.  Those  Scenes  which  were  wont 
to  amuse  me  delight  no  more. 

My  Imagination  roams  to  other  Countries  in  search  of 
pleasures  it  no  longer  finds  at  Home.  This  Evening  it  has 
been  transported  to  those  immense  unfrequented  Plains 
of  Tartary  which  are  covered  with  Herbs  and  Flowers. 
Amongst  these  I  fancied  myself  reposing  and  thought  the 
one  I  love  best  in  the  Universe  was  gathering  Roses  by  my 
side.  A  visionary  Sun  gleamed  faintly  over  the  boundless 
prospect,  no  Hill,  no  Tree  appeared.  We  heard  the 
murmur  of  a  Rill;  but  could  not  discover  it;  for  we 
seemed  lost  in  airy  flowers  that,  waving  above  our  Heads, 
diffused  a  delicious  perfume.    Why  can  I  not  communi- 


FONTHILL 


83 


cate  to  you  my  sensations  when  I  imagined  myself  on  the 
very  extremity  of  the  World  in  the  secure  possession  of 
all  I  desired  ?  But  it  is  impossible,  they  are  not  to  be 
described.  Such  Delusions  as  these  form  my  present 
felicity,  without  them  I  should  be  the  most  unhappy  of 
mankind  and  the  persecutions  of  Franguis  would  be 
intolerable.  But  now,  when  their  conversations  grow  too 
discordant  for  my  Nature,  I  fly,  fasten  all  my  Doors, 
secure  myself  in  the  interior  Cell  and,  without  the  assist- 
ance of  a  majic  Carpet,  am  transported  wheresoever  I  list. 
Had  I  not  this  Power  I  should  soon  breathe  my  last ; — 
but  Hope,  that  omnipotent  Divinity,  smiles  upon  me  and 
I  resolve  to  live — she  beckons  and  I  follow  her — she  points 
to  you  and  still  moving  forwards  leads  me  to  the  one  I 
adore.  The  whole  perspective  brightens  as  she  advances, 
the  Trees  regain  their  foliage,  and  the  Skies  their  Serenity. 
See,  she  flies  to  the  utmost  verge  of  Nature,  and,  dis- 
covering to  my  astonished  sight  those  cristal  Stairs  which 
lead  to  another  world,  I  soar  on  her  pinions  to  the  Portals 
of  eternal  Happiness.  The  Vales  are  thrown  back  by  her 
beneficent  hand  and  [under]  her  auspices  I  wander  delighted 
over  the  vast  Regions  of  Futurity. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

FoNTHiLL,  March  IStk,  1780. 

I  am  become  wild  and  timid  as  a  stag,  long  used  to 
roam  in  the  recesses  of  a  forest.  I  start  when  a  Frangui 
presents  himself,  and,  plunging  into  my  solitudes,  remain 
silent  and  fearful,  till  he  is  gone  out  of  my  sight.  The 
news  of  the  World  aflects  me  not  half  so  much  as  the 
chirping  of  a  sparrow,  or  the  rustling  of  withered  leaves. 
What  care  I,  who  pass  my  morning  in  groves  and  my 
evenings  in  a  quiet  cell,  whether  this  ship  be  taken,  or 
t'other  escape,  provided  the  rout  of  Franguis  squabble  at  a 
distance  !  Ambition  at  present  lies  dormant  in  my  breast 
and  far  from  envying  the  triumphs  of  others,  I  exult  in  my 
happy  tho'  inglorious  leisure.  I  wish  not  to  eclipse  those 
who  retail  the  faded  flowers  of  parliamentary  eloquence. 
My  senate  house  is  a  wood  of  pines,  from  whence,  on  a 
misty  evening,  I  watch  the  western  sky  streaked  with 
portentous  red,  whilst  awful  whispers  amongst  the 
boughs  above  me,  foretell  a  series  of  strange  events  and 


/ 


84  WILLIAM  BE  CKFORD 

melancholly  times.  The  blast  plays  in  my  hair  as  I  sit  on 
this  lonely  eminence  and  chills  my  hand  while  it  traces 
the  name  I  adore.  Perhaps  I  may  never  see  the  one  who 
bears  it,  again  ! — that  cruel  possibility  dims  my  eyes  with 
tears,  and  in  the  sad  moments  I  droop,  like  those  languid 
flowers,  oppressed  with  heavy  rain,  which  Virgil  describes  ; 
unable  to  implore  consolation.  You  can  comprehend  this 
mute  and  almost  unaccountable  sorrow ;  this  deep  dejection 
(if  it  may  be  allowed  the  term) ;  .  .  .  you  can  abandon 
your  self,  like  me,  to  its  influence. 

William  Beckford  to  A.  Courtenay 

FoNTHiLLj  March  25th,  1780. 

The  sky  is  blue,  the  verdure  revives,  the  fish  glide 
thro'  the  transparent  waters,  larches  tremble  in  the 
western  breezes,  the  flocks  are  spread  over  the  hills,  I  hear 
the  bleatings  at  a  distance  and  exult  like  the  rest  of 
Nature  in  the  beams  of  the  morning  sun. 

But  vain  and  transitory  is  my  happiness  !  it  shines  one 
instant  and  vanishes  the  next.  Just  now  the  v/hole  pros- 
pect heightens,  and  birds  flit  gayly  over  glittering  waves, 
dipping  their  wings  in  the  stream  :  others  more  worthyly 
employed  sail  thro'  the  aether  with  materials  to  form  a  con- 
venient habitation.  But,  look,  black  clouds  roll  from  the 
North  ;  blasts  rage  in  the  woods  of  Pan  ;  showers  descend, 
and  voUies  of  hail  beat  the  walls  of  the  Peaceful  Palace. 
The  boughs  crackle  and  whole  branches  are  torn  from  the 
Oaks  on  the  hill,  whilst  the  rooks,  my  beloved  rooks,  fill 
the  grove  with  clamours,  and  lament  the  ruin  of  their 
aerial  town.  I  run  wild  thro'  the  storm ;  ascend  the 
steeps  and,  hurrying  to  the  central  lawn  where  I  have 
vowed  to  erect  a  Dome  sacred  to  the  mysterious  influence 
of  the  setting  sun,  invoke  the  protection  of  those  wood- 
land Deities  we  adore  ;  Pan  and  the  good  old  Sylvanus. 

O  moderate  these  tempests  and  spare  my  trees.  See 
how  the  turf  is  strewed  with  their  once  flourishing 
branches,  that  so  soon  would  have  blossomed  to  decorate 
your  fanes  !  Hark,  how  your  winged  worshippers  com- 
plain !  and,  like  me,  accuse  your  inclemency  !  But  let  me 
cease ;  the  pines  are  no  longer  agitated,  the  rustlings 
subside,  and  a  gleam  of  sunshine  tells  me  ye  are  again  pro- 
pitious."   Once  more  delighted,  forgetting  all  my  cares,  I 


FONTHILL 


85 


rove  heedlessly  thro'  thickets,  where  the  straw-coloured 
blossoms  of  the  hazel  dangle  in  the  sun ;  and,  pursuing  a 
path  between  shades  of  laurel,  ascend  an  eminence  and 
gaze  at  the  azure  hills  afar  off  towards  Cornwall,  the 
western  main,  beyond  which  lye  stretched  out  those 
fortunate  Isles,  and  pleasant  Countries, 

Where  Hesperus  and  his  Daughters  three 
Sing  around  the  golden  tree. 

Oh,  that  we  could  join  the  chorus  and  follow  it  over 
Atlas,  to  those  deep  solitudes  and  woody  dells,  which 
afford  a  secure  retreat  to  the  happiest  of  mortals,  the 
Children  of  the  Evening  Sun.  You  are  surely  one  of  the 
number,  and  so  1  hope  is  the  little  Courtenay. 

Saturday,  May  1780. 

I  have  been  sailing  on  the  Argo  since  I  saw  you  last. 
We  soon  left  the  Hellespont  behind  and  favourable  winds 
wafted  us  too  swiftly  by  the  green  coast  of  Propontis. 
Hercules  was  in  raptures  at  the  sight  of  the  lofty 
Mountain,  when  his  Fates  whispered  he  was  to  be  enshrined 
a  God  amongst  Gods.  We  had  a  great  deal  of  conversa- 
tion which  I  shall  impart  to  you  this  Evening.  I  long  to 
relate  the  story  of  Hylas,  who  you  know  accompanied  us 
in  the  Expedition.  ...  I  injoin  you  by  all  our  Divinities 
of  Greece  and  the  Indies  not  to  allow  any  Engagement 
whatsoever  to  hinder  your  seeing  me  at  half  past  six. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

FoNTHiLL,  May  lOtk,  1780. 

Thank  Heaven  I  am  at  length  quiet  and  can  write  to 
you  once  more  from  a  peaceful  abode.  I  was  received 
with  great  Tumult ;  but  with  such  transports  of  Affection 
that  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  Heart  to  be  displeased. 
When  the  Hurry  was  over  and  all  desert  and  silent  I  ran 
across  the  Lawn,  mounted  the  Hill  of  Pan  and  addressed 
myself  to  the  Sylvan  Deities  in  the  midst  of  their  con- 
secrated Foliage.  The  reviving  fragrance  of  the  vegeta- 
tion is  not  to  be  described,  nor  need  it,  to  the  Worshippers 
of  Nature:  they  know  the  perfume  she  diffuses  when 
awakened  from  her  Winter's  repose.  The  sunbeams 
heightening  the  dewy  verdure  of  the  Grove  inspired  me 


86 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


with  innumerable  sensations  lively  and  youthful  as  spring. 
The  Birds  were  not  more  delighted  with  their  comfortable 
Nests  than  I  was  with  the  green  boughs  that  hung  over 
them.  I  have  every  reason  to  think  we  live  in  the  best 
intelligence  and  am  half  inclined  to  believe  they  are  aware 
of  my  protection.  The  Rooks  this  year  build  ten  Trees 
nearer  than  before  and,  whilst  I  sat  on  an  Oak  branch, 
whose  yellow  transparent  leaves  were  just  beginning  to 
unfold  themselves,  a  flight  of  Bullfinches  perched  immedi- 
ately on  the  Sprays  above  my  Head  warbling  their  own 
Language  and  arranging  their  Feathers  with  perfect 
Freedom.  I  left  the  little  Group  conversing  together  and 
walked  full  in  the  Evening  Sun  to  a  Meadow  on  the 
opposite  Side  of  the  River  embroidered  all  over  with 
Cowslips  which  sent  forth  such  fresh  vernal  Odours  that 
I  could  not  help  throwing  myself  down  amongst  them. 
Some  propitious  Being  seemed  to  have  endowed  this  Spot 
with  the  power  of  relieving  my  anxieties  [and]  calming 
the  tumult  of  my  spirits,  for  no  sooner  did  I  breathe  the 
perfume  of  the  Flowers  which  blew  all  around  me  than  a 
soft  delusion  stole  over  my  senses — every  passion  was 
hushed,  every  Care  vanished,  the  past  and  the  future  were 
equally  indifferent  and  I  enjoyed  the  present  without  reserve. 
But  do  not  imagine  this  fortunate  State  was  of  long  dura- 
tion. After  a  few  Instants  the  Charm  dissolved  and  1  found 
myself  again  the  Victim  of  restless  Desires.  Now  too 
plainly  I  perceived  how  vacant  were  these  Meadows,  how 
imperfect  the  pleasures  they  afforded  ;  and,  rising  from  the 
Turf,  I  stepped  into  my  Canoe  and  rowed  disconsolately 
about  I  knew  not  whither,  till  the  last  Sunbeams  faded 
away  on  the  Hills  and  Forests  were  lost  in  shade.  Then 
walking  slowly  across  the  Lawn  I  entered  the  peaceful 
Palace  where  Silence  and  Solitude  reign  undisturbed,  and 
I  think  you  will  give  me  Credit  for  not  invading  their 
repose.  One  glimmering  Lamp  directed  me  to  my 
Apartment,  'twas  all  I  desired :  more  Light  might  have 
alarmed  those  ancient  and  venerable  Spirits  who  reside  in 
Vases  ranged  mysteriously  around  the  Cell.  Having  pre- 
ferred a  short  prayer  to  those  concealed  Intelligences  I 
stretched  myself  out  on  Indian  Carpets  and  drank  my 
solitary  Tea — Guess  who  I  wish'd  by  my  Side  ? 

Soon  after  the  last  letter  was  written,  Beckford  went 


AT  COURT  87 

to  London,  and,  a  week  after  the  Gordon  Riots,  made  his 
bow  at  St.  James's.  "  I  went  to  Court  with  some  of  my 
opposition  friends,"  he  recalled  the  occasion  long  after, 
"  who  said  if  we  did  not  go,  the  King  would  declare  we 
were  all  leagued  with  Lord  George.  We  went  to  keep  up 
appearances  on  that  occasion.  I  was  too  young  to  be  an 
object  of  antipathy,  or  to  take  any  part  in  politics,  during 
my  father's  life."  He  went  to  a  levee  with  Sir  George 
Howard,  the  second  husband  of  his  aunt  Elizabeth,  and  he 
thought  he  owed  his  favourable  reception  to  the  esteem  in 
which  that  lady  was  held  by  the  monarch.  Soon  after  he  en- 
tered, the  King  came  out  of  his  Closet,  and,  seeing  the  officer 
who  had  only  the  other  day  reluctantly  been  compelled  to 
give  the  order  to  fire  on  the  unruly  mob,  said  to  him  in 
his  queer  gobble-gobble  voice,  "  You  peppered  them  well, 
I  hope — peppered  them  well — peppered  them  well ! "  The 
levity  of  the  remark  disgusted  the  company,  and  the  officer 
replied  very  gravely,  "  I  hope  your  Majesty's  troops  will 
always  do  their  duty."  The  rebuke  failed  to  pierce  the 
understanding  of  George  III.,  who  turned  sharply  to 
Beckford  and  said,  "  Well,  I  suppose  all  your  chickens  are 
dead,"  alluding  to  the  fact  that  the  Alderman  had  roofed 
his  house  with  copper,  an  experiment  which  the  King, 
who  delighted  to  prophesy  in  such  matters,  had  previously 
declared  must  infallibly  kill  everything  under  the  roof  by 
verdigris. 


CHAPTER  V 


"  DREAMS,  WAKING  THOUGHTS,  AND  INCIDENTS" 
(1780-1781) 

Beckford  again  goes  abroad  :  The  places  he  visited  :  The 
letters  he  wrote  during  his  tour  :  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts, 
and  Incidents  "  :  A  description  of  this  work  :  His  anxiety  that  it 
should  be  a  success  :  The  book  printed,  but  suppressed  on  the 
eve  of  publication  :  Possible  reasons  for  its  suppression  :  False 
charges  brought  against  Beckford 

After  a  stay  in  England  of  rather  more  than  a  year  and 
a  half,  Beckford,  again  accompanied  by  Lettice,  started  on 
a  Grand  Tour  that  was  to  last  until  he  had  to  return  to 
Fonthill  to  attend  his  coming-of-age  festivities.  The 
travellers  set  out  from  London  on  June  19,  1780  ;  and 
Beckford,  who  tells  us  "  All  through  Kent  did  I  doze  as 
usual,"  happily  found  himself  sufficiently  wakeful  the  next 
day  to  announce  his  arrival  at  Margate. 

I  have  passed  the  Ivory  Gate  and  have  entered  the 
Empire  of  Dreams.  The  airy  people  are  buzzing  around 
one  like  Moths  that  haunt  the  honeysuckles  of  an 
Evening.  Some  of  these  phantoms  are  inconceivably 
beautiful,  others  so  horrid  and  menacing  that  I  shiver  at 
their  recollection — and  feel  at  this  very  moment  a  cold 
sweat  trickling  down  my  Temples.  You  cannot  conceive 
how  many  singular  Anecdotes  1  have  learnt  of  my  Brother 
Dreamers  since  my  arrival  in  this  visionary  Land.  The 
great  Tree  which,  if  you  recollect,  shades  the  entrance  of 
the  infernal  Regions  swarms  at  this  moment  with  Cyranos 
de  Bergerac  and  Bishop  Berkeley's  Acquaintance,  and  the 
Bough  immediately  above  my  Head  is  so  loaded  with  the 
Familiars  of  Arabians  that  if  it  breaks  down  I  shall  be 

88 


MAHGATE 


89 


smothered  for  ever.  Already  half  a  hundred  have  de- 
tached themselves  and  adhere  so  closely  to  me  that,  had  I 
the  force  of  Neptune  or  Polypheme,  I  could  not  shake 
them  off.  I  wish  I  could  contrive  a  method  of  despatching 
two  or  three  of  these  rainbow-coloured  Children  to  you. 
I  think  they  might  cheer  your  confinement  and  solace 
your  lonely  Hours ;  for  amongst  this  Multitude  some  are 
excellent  Company,  and  one  art  they  know  in  perfection 
...  a  most  agreeable  one  in  general — 1  mean  that  of  not 
staying  too  long  at  a  time — Alas,  for  my  own  part  I  have 
reason  to  complain  of  the  contrary — It  was  but  a  moment 
ago  that  I  thought  myself  securely  placed  at  the  very 
extremities  of  the  Ocean,  in  an  Isle  of  the  smoothest 
greensward,  Louisa  at  my  side — and  a  voice  like  Pacchie- 
rotti's  warbling  in  the  Air.  Judge  whether  I  was  not 
keenly  disappointed  when  upon  waking  I  found  myself  at 
Margate,  ten  blubbering  Babes  under  my  window,  whilst 
Baron  Wenzel  the  Oculist  and  a  whole  Legion  of  fresh 
imported  Harlots  were  trumpetting  in  the  other  (an 
adjoining)  Room.  Would  to  Heaven  these  Fiddles  (this 
combination  of  discordant  sounds)  would  get  out  of  their 
scrape ;  they  drive  me  and  my  Visions  to  distraction. 
Morpheus  moved  off  at  the  first  Onset  and  the  others  are 
gathering  up  every  poppy  he  left  behind,  so  that  in  a  few 
minutes  I  shall  not  have  a  single  Phantom  to  look  at,  nor 
one  aerial  Companion  to  replace  those  from  whom  I  am 
separated  perhaps  for  ever.  Yes,  my  suspicions  are  too 
justly  founded,  they  spread  their  wings  and  vanish. 
All  my  Consolation  is  now  that  the  murmurs  of  the 
Winds  and  the  Surges  so  different  from  the  vile  artificial 
notes  that  grated  my  Ears  t'other  Moment  may  recall 
them. 

I  do  flatter  myself  they  will  flutter  around  my  Couch 
in  the  Cabin  whispering  the  Story  of  Ceyoc  and  Alcyone 
in  my  ear — or  some  other  pathetic  adventure  in  which 
they  have  borne  a  part — Farewell — the  Vessel  waits — the 
steamers  float  with  a  favourable  wind — Lights  glimmer 
amongst  the  Ships  at  a  distance — Envy  me,  for  I  am 
going  to  be  wrapped  in  the  arms  of  Darkness  and 
Illusions. 

Margate^  June  20tk,  1780. 

From  Margate  Beckford  sailed  to  Ostend,  and  from 


90 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


that  town  went  to  Antwerp,  where  with  unusual  industry 
he  examined  churches,  public  buildings,  statuary,  and 
pictures ;  and  then  to  the  Hague,  where  he  was  interested 
only  in  the  Prince  of  Orange's  cabinet  of  paintings  and 
curiosities,  and  had  subsequently  something  to  say  of  a 
St.  Anthony  by  "  Hell-fire  "  Breughel. 

The  heavy  air  of  the  Netherlands  weighs  me  down 
and  I  find  it  is  in  vain  to  struggle  against  the  pressure. 
I  deferred  writing  to  you  from  Day  to  Day  in  hopes  of 
recovering  my  spirits  and  being  able  to  write  something 
for  the  amusement  of  your  solitude  ;  but  as  I  find  my 
stupidity  increase  rather  than  diminish,  I  resolved  to  send 
you  a  line  or  two  immediately  lest  my  dulness  should 
grow  so  great  as  to  be  infectious.  O  Genius  of  ancient 
Greece  !  what  a  horror  is  this  Hague  !  what  lazy  Canals  ! 
what  muddy-souled  inhabitants  !  Yesterday  I  had  the 
misfortune  of  dining  with  half  a  dozen  Butterburgs  at 
Sir  J.  Yorke's.^  There  was  a  total  stagnation  of  wit  and 
genius — but  the  currency  of  Roast  Beef,  Horn  and  collops 
of  every  species  made  ample  amends  according  to  Dutch 
Ideas.  Not  a  word  more  can  I  commit  to  paper  at 
present.  My  imagination  sinks  ten  degrees  in  an  instant, 
how  long  it  will  fall — the — Daemon  alone  knows  who 
conducted  my  steps  into  this  slough  of  Despond. 

HaguE;,  June  ^Qth,  1780. 

"  Well,  thank  Heaven,  Amsterdam  is  behind  us,"  he 
wrote  from  Utrecht  a  few  days  later,  anxious  to  get 
further  south  ;  but  at  Spa  he  lingered  a  few  days. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

I  write  to  you  from  the  confines  of  the  Forest  of 
Arden,  once  the  delight  of  Chivalry.  At  this  moment 
I  survey  its  vast  solitudes,  which  the  twilight  renders  still 
more  aweful  and  interesting.  The  Town  swarms  with 
Idlers  and  Vagabonds.  I  left  them  dancing  and  fiddling 
to  stray  by  myself  amongst  the  Rocks  and  view  the 

*  Joseph  Yorke,  afterwards  Baron  Dover  (1724-1792),  British  Am- 
bassador at  the  Hague. 


.JIim^-MIlS.  PETER  BECKFORD 
Joshua  Reynolds 


By  permission  of  the  Dulce  of  Hamilton 


LUCCA 


91 


distant  Woods  from  their  promontories.  Would  to  God 
the  memorable  Fountains  of  Merlin  were  still  attainable 
— I  might  then  be  happy  with  the  hopes  of  forgetting  a 
passion  which  preys  upon  my  soul.  I  cannot  break  my 
chains — I  struggle  and  the  more  attempts  I  make  to 
shake  them  off  the  firmer  they  adhere  to  me.  This 
wayward  Love  of  mine  makes  me  insensible  to  everything 
— I  move  feverishly  from  place  to  place — but  it  is  in  vain 
it  pursues  me — pursues  me  with  such  swiftness  !  seizes 
upon  me  and  marks  me  for  its  own.  .  .  .  Delicious  Hours 
that  are  gone  for  ever.  Your  recollection  is  my  sole 
comfort.    1  live  alone  by  your  remembrance. 

Spa,  July  1th,  1780. 

Bonn,  Coblenz,  Mayence,  Oppenheim,  Worms,  Mann- 
heim, Augsburg,  Munich,  Innsbruck,  he  passed  through, 
and  on  July  31,  he  notes  that  he  "  entered  at  length  |my 
long- desired  Italy  " ;  then  came  Venice,  Padua,  Verona, 
Bologna,  Florence,  Lucca,  where  he  again  met  Pacchierotti, 

William  Beckford  to  Miss  Burney 

Lucca,  22  Sept.,  1780. 

I  feel  myself  truly  sensible  of  yr.  kind  enquiries.  My 
Health  gained  little  by  the  Spa  waters,  however.  What 
little  it  gained  will  be  sufficient  I  hope  to  bring  me  back 
to  that  dear  Country  which  your  society  rendered  so 
infinitely  agreeable.  How  often  have  I  regretted  its 
absence  and  prayed  Heav'n  that  I  might  be  once  more 
restored  to  its  enjoyment.  Then  I  should  despise  the 
assistance  of  Waters,  and  have  found  the  only  Balm  which 
can  tranquillize  me  in  the  aff  °  of  my  Friends.  I  gave  a 
Concert  at  Spa  which  met  with  general  approbation.  The 
King  of  Spain  was  present — but  I  set  little  value  upon 
his  presence — Royal  praise  is  an  ornament  of  which  I  am 
far  from  being  ambitious — as  musical  heads  are  seldom 
encircled  with  a  Diadem.  ... 

Lucca,  Oct.  1st,  1780. 

I  continue  rambling  all  day  about  the  Hills  I  have 
mentioned.  Of  an  Evening  I  walk  on  the  ramparts  with 
Pacchierotti,  which  are  the  only  ornaments  Lucca  has  to 


/ 


92  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

boast.  A  fresh  herbage  shaded  by  well  grown  trees 
covers  the  whole  circuit,  and  commands  the  most  agree- 
ably varied  prospect  of  woody  slopes  and  mountains  I 
ever  beheld.  We  distinguish  the  lofty  peaks  in  the  state 
of  Genoa,  and  all  the  rocky  extent  of  territory  which 
borders  the  Tuscan  Sea.  How  many  times  have  we 
watched  the  Sun's  going  down,  and  wistfully  pursued  his 
retiring  gleams  !  jftow  many  times  have  we  longed  to 
follow  him,  and  visit  the  other  hemisphere,  there  to  remain 
on  the  banks  of  Oronooks,  or  at  the  base  of  the  Andes. 
Will  you  join  this  solitary  Scheme  and  consent  to  be 
forgotten  and  unknown  ?  I  care  not  a  grain  of  Millet 
whether  my  name  be  engraven  on  marble  or  graces  the 
annals  of  a  Kingdom,  not  I.  Give  me  but  a  secure  retire- 
ment with  those  I  love,  surround  me  with  impervious 
forests  and  keep  off  the  World:  keep  off  Ministers, 
Generals,  Senators,  Sportsmen,  Courtiers,  pedants  and 
Sectaries.  Give  me  ignorance  and  tranquillity,  those  may 
take  science  and  labour  that  chuse.  I  envy  not  their 
portion.  Let  me  dream  away  my  existence  in  the  lap  of 
illusions.  Let  me  fancy  nature  ten  thousand  times  more 
lovely  than  she  is,  and  don't  tell  me  there  are  any  higher 
spectacles  than  the  setting  sun,  or  any  worthier  occupa- 
tions than  calmly  contemplating  it.  Flatter  my  laziness 
and  tell  me  I  am  like  one  of  those  plants  which  bloom  in 
a  sequestered  crevice  of  the  rocks,  and  which  but  few  are 
destined  to  discover,  that  amuse  the  eye  with  their  flowers, 
but  afford  no  fruit  to  refresh  a  weary  traveller.  I  shall 
be  contented  with  such  commendations  slight  as  they  are. 
If  ever  you  see  ambition  beginning  to  fire  my  bosom, 
quench  the  flame,  and  continually  repeat  that  it  is  better 
to  be  meanly  happy  than  illustriously  miserable.  I  have 
never  greater  need  to  be  reminded  of  this  belief,  than 
during  some  moments  of  Pacchierotti's  declamation,  which 
breathes  such  exalted  heroism,  that,  forgetting  my  peaceful 
schemes,  I  start  up,  grow  restless,  stride  about  and  begin 
to  form  ambitious  projects.  Musick  raises  before  me  a 
host  of  phantoms  which  I  pursue  with  eagerness.  My 
blood  thrills  in  my  veins,  its  whole  current  is  changed  and 
agitated.  I  can  no  longer  command  myself,  and  whilst 
the  frenzy  lasts  would  be  willingly  devoted  to  destruction. 
— These  are  perilous  emotions  and  would  lead  me  cruelly 
away.    You  see  how  perfectly  our  modern  Timotheus  is 


FLORENCE 


93 


my  sovereign,  and  therefore  as  my  friend  advise  him  to 
change  the  louder  tones  of  his  harmony  for  such  arcadian 
measures  as  persuade  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  rural  life.  If 
he  takes  your  Council,  we  shall  pass  many  an  hour  in  the 
Woods  and  mountains,  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the 
good  old  Sylvanus — if  not,  throw  open  the  barrier,  and  let 
me  run  my  race,  whatever  oppose  my  progress. 

To-morrow  we  set  off  for  Leghorn  thro'  Pisa,  which 
last  mentioned  city  I  am  quite  wild  to  see ;  Mr.  L[ettice], 
who  went  there  t'other  day,  having  related  such  wonders 
of  its  Cathedral  and  Campo  Santo.  Had  I  not  hopes  of 
hearing  Pacchierotti  again  at  Venice  during  the  carnival 
this  would  not  be  my  last  epistle  from  Lucca.  Adieu, 
remember  me  sometimes,  and  recollect  when  you  enjoy 
the  Sun  set  from  Windsor,  and  walk  thro'  the  Meads  in 
the  glow  he  leaves  behind  him,  that  I  am  similarly 
employed 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

Florence,  Oct.  15tk,  1780. 

Your  Letter  breathes  inspirations  and  I  feel  to  my 
infinite  comfort  you  are  not  degenerated.  Be  assured 
you  will  find  me  ever  the  same  romantic  Being  fond  of 
the  Woods  and  Mountains — the  Friend  of  sylvan  powers 
and  Votary  of  Pan.  Italy  seems  my  native  Climate ;  it 
agrees  perhaps  but  too  well  with  the  ardour  of  my 
imagination ;  for  I  am  ten  times  more  enthusiastic  than 
ever.  I  thought  I  should  have  gone  wild  upon  first 
setting  my  feet  in  the  Gallery  and  when  I  beheld  such 
ranks  of  Statues,  such  treasures  of  gems  and  bronzes — I 
fell  into  a  dehghtful  delirium — which  none  but  Souls  like 
ours  experience,  and,  unable  to  check  my  rapture,  flew 
madly  from  Bust  to  Bust  and  Cabinet  to  Cabinet  like  a 
Butterfly  bewildered  in  an  Universe  of  Flowers.  Would 
to  Heaven  that  you  were  but  here  that  we  might  flutter 
together  the  whole  day  in  this  world  of  Elegance  and 
when  the  Sun  declines  enjoy  our  favourite  hour  in  the 
Woods  of  Bobbio — which  cover,  if  you  recollect,  the 
Mountain  behind  the  Palazzo  Frith — I  never  view  these 
shades  without  wishing  for  L[ouisa].  We  would  hide 
ourselves  in  the  depth  of  the  Thickets  amidst  bays  and 
myrtles.    None  but  the  Birds  should  be  conscious  of  our 


94  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

retirement — but  ah,  how  vain  are  the  desires  .  .  .  whole 
Kingdoms  separate  us  ...  I  cannot  bear  the  idea — I  must 
return — Shall  I  ever  again  breathe  the  same  atmosp  here? 
.  .  .  tell  me  I  shall — flatter  my  illusions — tell  me  I  am 
beloved.  Do  you  know  I  would  willingly  loze  the  blood 
that  animates  me — to  recall  those  happy  moments  I  have 
passed  in  her  embraces.  Can  you  not  snatch  an  instant 
a  little  oftener  to  tell  me  you  are  well  .  .  .  adieu. 

Sienna  was  reached  on  October  26,  and  three  days  later 
Rome,  which  inspired  some  of  the  finest  pages  in  Beck- 
ford's  account  of  this  tour.  Then  came  Naples,  where  he 
stayed  with  his  relative.  Sir  William  Hamilton,  and  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Lady  Hamilton.*  "  She  was  a  charm- 
ing creature — I  do  not  mean  'the  Nelson,'"  he  told 
Cyrus  Redding  near  three  score  years  later.  "  The  dawn 
of  life  then  was  as  bright  as  the  bay  on  which  I  looked 
every  morning,  and,  making  allowance  for  its  vivid  feel- 
ings, I  say  truth  when  I  speak  of  Lady  Hamilton  as  an 
angel  of  purity.  She  lived,  uncorrupted,  in  the  midst  of 
the  Neapolitan  Court.  You  must  have  known  what  the 
court  was,  to  comprehend  this  in  its  full  meaning.  I 
never  saw  so  heavenly-minded  a  creature.  Her  power  of 
musical  execution  was  wonderful — so  sweetly  soft  was 
her  touch — she  seemed  as  if  she  had  thrown  her  own 
essence  into  the  music.  I  used  to  listen  to  her  like  one 
entranced.  She  died  in  1782."  He  made  a  passing  allu- 
sion to  her  in  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and  Inci- 
dents," but  elaborated  this  in  his  revised  edition  published 
in  1834.  "  Lady  Hamilton  sat  down  to  the  pianoforte," 
he  wrote  then.  "  No  performer  that  I  ever  heard  pro- 
duced such  soothing  effects  ;  they  seemed  the  emanations 
of  a  pure,  uncontaminated  mind,  at  peace  with  itself  and 
benevolently  desirous  of  diffusing  that  happy  tranquillity 

*  Sir  William  Hamilton,  the  fourth  son  of  Lord  Archibald  Hamilton 
(son  of  William,  third  Duke  of  Hamilton,  by  his  wife,  Lady  Jane 
Hamilton,  daughter  of  James,  sixth  Earl  of  Abercorn),  married  in  1758 
Miss  Barlow,  daughter  and  heiress  of  Hugh  Barlow,  of  Lawhenny  Hall, 
Pembrokeshire. 


NAPLES 


95 


around  it ;  these  were  modes  a  Grecian  legislature  would 
have  encouraged  to  further  the  triumph  over  vice  of  the 
most  amiable  nature."  * 

At  Naples  Beckford  spent  some  of  the  happiest  days 
of  his  life,  realising  the  goodness  of  Lady  Hamilton,  and 
submitting  gladly,  eagerly  to  her  influence — and  how 
considerably  she  swayed  his  volatile  nature  his  letters 
to  her  show  very  clearly.  "  What  a  house  Sir  William  s 
was  at  Naples ! "  he  exclaimed  in  his  old  age,  remember- 
ing the  kindly  host  and  charming  hostess.  "  There  were 
all  the  clever  people,  the  artists,  the  antiquarians,  musicians, 
the  beauty  and  gaiety  of  the  city  !    It  was  my  home." 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

Naples,  Novr.  7,  1780. 

Your  charming  lines  of  the  29th  Septr.  found  me 
viewing  our  classic  Bay  from  Sir  Wm.'s  \i.e.  Sir  William 
Hamilton's]  Terrace  and  gazing  with  all  my  eyes  earthly 
and  spiritual  upon  the  Island  of  Caprea.  Why  are  you 
not  at  my  side  to  share  my  sensations  and  fix  the  glorious 
scenery  of  the  Clouds  with  your  pencil  ?  Next  Summer, 
unless  my  hopes  are  frustrated,  will  see  us  I  hope  reposing 
under  our  own  Cypresses  at  Fonthill  and  talking  of 
Hesperia.  I  attempt  neither  description  nor  anything 
else  in  those  short  Letters  which  are  only  meant  to  tell 
you  I  am  well  and  ask  if  you  are  so.  Upon  my  return  I 
shall  lay  whole  Volumes  before  you.  I  saw  your  Friend 
H.  at  Home,  who  seems  to  have  a  share  of  Taste  but 
wants  our  fiery  enthusiasm,  without  which  life  is  dull  and 
stagnant.  Does  your  Son  go  on  with  my  drawings  ?  I 
hope  he  does — he  cannot  make  too  many.  Having  seen 
Italy  I  value  them  more  than  ever,  if  that  be  possible. 
My  affect.  Compliments  wait  upon  him.  Circe  desires 
to  be  included  in  the  remembrance  since  no  Artist  ever 
did  ampler  justice  to  her  promontory. 

The  Sirens  have  been  propitious  and  granted  me — I 
am  bold  and  vain  enough  to  say — some  few  of  their  per- 
suasive accents.  Indeed  I  flatter  myself  I  have  gained 
considerably — how  could  I  do  otherways — hearing  Lady 

*  "  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal"  (ed.  1840),  p.  122. 


/ 


96  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Hamilton  every  day,  whose  taste  and  feeling  exceed  the 
warmest  ideas.  1  pass  my  whole  time  with  her — she 
perfectly  comprehends  me  and  is  more  in  our  Style  than 
any  Woman  with  whom  I  am  acquainted.  My  dear  little 
Friend  writes  me  the  most  affect.  Letters  I  could  desire — 
Judge  therefore  whether  I  do  not  think  Naples  the  Garden 
of  Irem  and  see  bluer  skies  and  brighter  Sunshine  than  exist 
perhaps  in  reality — adieu. 

Naples,  Novr.  l6lk,  1780. 

It  seems  a  sad  long  while  since  I  have  seen  you.  The 
World  grows  more  and  more  irksome  to  me  every  Day 
and  I  am  eagerly  wishing  for  a  Spirit  like  yours  to  comfort 
and  revive  my  own.  Nothing,  I  think,  will  prevent  me 
daring  to  be  happy  in  defiance  of  glory  and  reputation. 
Why  should  I  desire  the  applause  of  Creatures  I  despise  ? 
rather  let  me  enjoy  that  heartfelt  satisfaction  which 
springs  from  innocence  and  tranquillity !  The  peaceful 
Palace  and  woody  Hills  which  surround  it  shall  bound 
my  desires.  There  will  we  remain — lost  in  our  Meads 
and  Copses,  wandering  carelessly  about,  offering  sacrifice 
to  sylvan  Deities  and  fancying  ourselves  recalled  to  that 
primaeval  period  when  Force  and  Empire  were  unknown. 
1  am  now  approaching  the  Age  when  the  World  in 
general  expect  me  to  lay  aside  my  dreams,  abandon  my 
soft  illusion  and  start  into  public  Life.  How  greatly  are 
they  deceived  how  firmly  am  I  resolved  to  be  a  Child  for 
ever !  Next  Summer  I  hope  will  give  you  a  proof  of  my 
constancy  when  if  I  return  from  Rome  you  will  find  me 
stretched  under  my  beeches  on  the  Hill  of  Pan,  or  running 
wildly  amongst  the  Thickets  which  cover  the  Satyr's 
range.*  At  night  we  will  retire  to  the  Cell  and  consult 
our  Arabians,  penetrate  into  remote  Countries  and  fancy 
we  discover  the  high  Mountains  of  Gabel  at  Comar,  It 
shall  be  my  business  to  collect  prints  and  drawings  which 
illustrate  our  favorite  ideas,  and  I  flatter  myself  with  the 
hopes  of  passing  many  an  Evening  with  you  in  their 
contemplation.  Every  month  we  shall  invent  some  new 
Ornament  for  our  Apartments  and  add  some  exotic  rarity 
to  its  treasures.  Our  pleasures  will  be  continually  vary- 
ing, sometimes  we  shall  inhabit  our  Huts  on  the  borders 
of  the  Lake,  and  sometimes  our  vast  range  of  solenm 
subterraneous  Chambers  visible  by  the  glow  of  Lamps  and 

*  Stonehenge — on  Salisbury  Plain — fourteen  miles  from  Fonthill. 


ROME 


97 


filled  with  Cabalistic  Images.  .  .  .  Another  moment  will 
find  us  encamped  upon  the  green  Desert  we  were  so  fond 
of,  drinking  our  Coffee  in  open  Tents  and  dreaming  our- 
selves in  Yomen — Next  day  perhaps  we  shall  repair  to  the 
stone  of  power,  where  to  speak  the  Language  of  Fingal ; 
"  Spirits  descend  by  night  in  dark  red  streams  of  Fire." 
In  this  imaginary  style  our  Days  will  glide  smoothly 
along  and  we  shall  sink  into  our  Tombs  contented  tho' 
inglorious. 

Caserta,  iVovr.  1780. 

I  still  remain  here,  quiet  and  happy  with  Lady 
Hamilton  who  is  perfectly  in  our  way — we  see  no 
body.  Sir  Wm.  hunts  all  day  long  with  the  King 
upon  the  Mountains,  whilst  we  indulge  our  imagina- 
tions at  home  and  play  strange  dreams  upon  the  piano- 
forte and  talk  in  a  melancholy  visionary  style  which 
would  recall  your  ancient  ideas  and  fill  you  with  pleasing 
sadness. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Rome,  Wednesday,  Dec.  Q,  1780. 

In  the  first  place  let  me  begin  with  conjuring  to  you 
not  to  show  my  letters  to  any  animal  except  your  favourite 
dog  Milk,  who  I  am  in  hopes  will  tear  them  to  pieces. 
Last  night  I  arrived  at  Rome  jaded  to  death  with  travel- 
ling four  and  thirty  hours  without  resting  an  instant,  and 
so  miserable  that  I  would  have  given  the  Indies  for  one  of 
those  comfortable  potions  which  lull  us  to  sleep  for  ever. 
An  huge  heap  of  letters  lay  awaiting  my  arrival,  some  of 
which  throw  me  into  the  most  dreadful  agitations,  and  it 
struck  one  before  I  closed  my  eyes.  You  don't  know  how 
unhappy  I  felt  upon  waking  late  this  morning  after  a 
repose  more  like  death  than  sleep  not  to  find  myself  at 
Caserta  and  to  think  how  far  I  was  removed  from  you — 
from  you  who  gave  me  so  many  proofs  of  your  affection 
and  treated  me  with  so  much  tenderness.  I  hardly  am 
yet  sensible  how  I  reached  Rome.  My  journey  was  like 
a  dream.  Objects  passed  swiftly  and  unnoticed  before  my 
eyes.  Just  now  the  sun  set,  and  the  cliffs  of  Cajeta  were 
glowing  with  ruddy  light.  Next  instant  Monte  Cancello 
presented  itself  and  the  moon  gleamed  upon  the  tranquil 

G 


98  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

waters.  A  minute  after  all  was  darkness  and  gloom. 
Sometimes  I  hear  the  roar  of  the  distant  waves,  and  some- 
times strange  undetermined  sounds  which  seem  to  issue 
from  the  mountains.  You,  I  am  certain,  can  easily  com- 
prehend this  train  of  sensations  and  pity  me  from  the 
centre  of  your  heart.  Ten  thousand  times  have  I  wished 
myself  with  you  once  more  in  peace  and  solitude.  I  can 
venture  expressing  to  you  all  my  wayward  thoughts — can 
murmur — can  even  weep  in  your  company.  After  my 
mother  you  are  the  person  I  love  best  in  the  universe.  I 
could  remain  with  you  all  my  life,  listening  to  your  music 
and  your  conversation.  No  words  can  express  my  wishes 
for  the  return  of  Spring,  when  I  hope  I  shall  have  no  cause 
to  appear  before  you  trembling  and  confounded.  I  form 
no  conjectures  about  my  destiny,  but  wait  its  decrees  in 
fear  and  silence.  Give  my  love  to  Sir  Wm.,  and  tell  him 
how  highly  I  value  his  affection.  If  I  had  strength  and 
spirits  I  would  say  a  great  deal  more — and  even  then 
should  fail  of  expressing  half  what  I  think — but  both  fail 
me  at  this  moment.  You  can  form  no  idea  how  melan- 
choly and  dejected  I  am.  Nothing  but  the  desire  of  hear- 
ing from  you  could  have  made  me  write.  For  Heaven's 
sake  send  me  a  few  lines  immediately,  and  be  assured 
whilst  I  am  honoured  with  your  remembrance  I  shall  never 
forget  myself.  My  meaning  must  be  obvious  to  you  since 
I  have  concealed  nothing  from  your  knowledge.  I  allowed 
you  to  look  beyond  the  veil  I  am  obliged  to  spread  before 
other  spectators.  Your  letter  to  Abb^  Grant  still  sleeps 
in  my  portefeuille,  but  perhaps  to-morrow  I  may  deliver 
it. 

December  8. 

Let  me  know  how  your  pantomime  goes  on  and  if  R. 
looks  very  much  like  a  divinity.  Perhaps  I  may  do  my 
little  endeavours  towards  rendering  him  a  mere  mortal  in 
the  Spring.  "  If  I  quench  thee,  thou  flaming  minister," 
I  shall  have  effected  great  things  indeed.  Sunday  I  pro- 
ceed. Pray  write  immediately  if  you  have  still  any  regard 
for  your  most  obliged  and  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

I  hope  you  have  written  to  my  mother. 


AUGSBUHG 


99 


William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Augsburg,  Jany.  9.0th,  1781. 

At  length,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  I  am  awake  and 
see  clearly  around  me.  The  gulf  into  which  I  was  upon 
the  point  of  being  precipitated  has  disappeared  and  I  am 
once  more  calm  and  happy.  It  is  chiefly  to  you  I  owe 
this  enviable  state.  Your  influence  prevailed,  your  words 
never  ceased  to  sound  in  my  ears  till  the  good  work  they 
had  in  view  was  accomplished.  To  express  the  transport 
I  feel  at  my  deliverance  would  be  impossible.  The  noble 
hopes  that  now  begin  to  light  up  my  bosom  ;  the  energies 
(if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression)  that  revive  [me],  all, 
all  are  the  effects  of  your  affectionate  advice.  When  I 
look  back  on  the  convulsive  moments  I  have  passed  no 
words  can  paint  my  agitation.  But  they  are  gone — thank 
Heaven ! — the  frightful  phantoms  !  'Twas  you  who 
helped  to  dispel  them.  No  sooner  had  I  abandoned  my 
Venetian  state,  and  with  it  my  fatal  connection,  than  my 
spirits  seemed  to  flow  with  redoubled  activity.  Recovering 
from  the  low  and  languid  fever  that  so  long  had  preyed 
upon  me  I  ran  lightly  along  the  edge  of  the  precipices  and 
inhaled  the  pure  air  of  the  Tirol  mountains  with  avidity — 
now  contemplating  the  strange  rocky  promontories  hung 
with  icicles,  and  now  the  endless  steeps  covered  with 
snow.  I  delivered  myself  up  to  my  old  imagination,  the 
delight  of  my  infant  years,  and  formed  a  thousand  wild 
conjectures  about  those  who  inhabited  the  cottage  by  the 
stream,  guided  the  raft  which  floated  on  its  surface,  or 
were  gathering  odd  herbs  and  ivies  that  spring  from  the 
cliffs  in  defiance  of  winter.  This  romantic  disposition  has 
lashed  me  quite  to  Augsburg.  To-night  I  have  been 
playing  strange  exotic  tunes  upon  a  harpsichord  which 
your  friend  Mon".  de  Lamberg  will  soon  have  the  glory  of 
possessing.  Such  a  harpsichord  I  think  I  never  touched. 
I  have  bespoken  its  brother.  I  flatter  myself  that  one  day 
or  other  I  may  hear  you  awaken  it.  Did  you  ever  read  in 
some  Lapland  history  of  certain  gnomes  who  lurk  in  the 
mines  and  chasms  of  tremendous  mountains  ?  The  music 
I  have  just  now  been  composing  was  exactly  such,  1 
imagine,  as  elves  and  pigmies  dance  to — brisk  and  huming 
— moody  and  subterranean.  Few  mortals  except  ourselves 


/ 


100  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

have  ears  to  catch  the  low  whisperings  which  issue  in 
dark  hours  from  the  rocks.  Such  I  have  heard  in  my 
late  rambles  through  the  Tirol.  Without  leaving  the 
carriage  I  used  to  climb  up  a  pine  by  moonlight  and  stick 
like  a  squirrel  to  its  branches.  You  can  conceive  the 
pleasures  of  traversing  vast  groves  of  fir  at  that  solemn 
hour  on  a  clear  frosty  night  when  every  star  is  visible,  and 
enter  into  the  mysteries  of  calculating  their  influences. 
Unless  I  am  mistaken  they  are  at  present  extremely 
favourable  and  promise  happier  days.  One  of  the  greatest 
pleasures  they  can  procure  me  is  a  letter  from  you.  How 
sorry  I  am  to  give  up  hopes  of  passing  the  spring  at 
Portici  and  visiting  the  wild  thickets  of  Calabria  in  your 
company.  My  constant  prayers  will  be  to  return  and 
listen  to  you  whole  hours  without  interruption.  Never 
again  do  I  flatter  myself  with  the  fond  expectations  of 
meeting  another  human  being  who  can  perfectly  compre- 
hend me.  By  way  of  contrast,  how  does  Abb^  Galiani  ? 
What  a  little  sweet  pug  dog  it  is — yea,  a  pug  dog  who 
feeds  upon  sausages.  Give  my  love  to  Sir  Wm.  and  tell 
him  that  were  I  to  endure  as  long  as  his  mountains 
I  should  remember  his  kindness.  Adieu,  my  dear 
Lady  H.  Let  me  hear  constantly  from  you  if  you 
have  any  pity  upon  the  anxieties  of  your  most  obliged 
and  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 
William  Beckfoed  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Strasburg,  Jan.  28, 178L 

If  I  had  but  sufficient  strength  of  mind  to  set  pre- 
judice at  defiance — I  care  not  a  farthing  whether  the 
world  thought  me  whimsical  or  no — I  should  change  once 
more  my  resolution  and  instead  of  proceeding  to  England 
trace  back  my  footsteps  immediately  to  Naples.  There  I 
might  hope  to  remain  a  few  months  in  your  company 
enjoying  the  spring  on  the  coasts  of  your  bay,  and  sharing 
with  you  my  happy  fantastic  imagination.  But  I  am 
fated,  it  seems,  to  return  to  a  country  where  sober,  sullen 
realities  must  put  them  all  to  flight — where  I  have  no 
friend  like  you  to  sustain  my  spirits  and  receive  my  ideas 
except  Mr.  Cozens,  whom  you  have  heard  me  frequently 
mention.     Not  an  animal  comprehends  me.     At  this 


STRASBURG 


101 


disastrous  moment,  too,  when  every  individual  is  aban- 
doned to  terrors  and  anxieties,  which  way  can  I  turn 
myself?  Public  affairs  I  dare  not  plunge  into.  My 
health  is  far  too  wavering.  Whilst  I  write  my  hand 
trembles  like  that  of  a  paralytic  Chinese.  Strange  colours 
swim  before  my  eyes  and  sounds  keep  ringing  in  my  ears 
for  which  I  can  hardly  account.  This  whole  morning  I 
have  been  condemned  to  the  perusal  of  Jamaica  letters 
filled,  as  you  may  imagine,  with  ruin  and  desolation.  No 
language  can  describe  the  situation  of  that  unfortunate 
colony  Savannah  le  Mar  which  has  felt  the  force  of  the 
hurricane.  How  dreadful  the  calm  which  preceded  it! 
the  silence,  suspense  and  frowns  of  the  elements !  the 
solitary  black  cloud,  its  fatal  path  and  destructive  explo- 
sion. The  West  Indian  seas  seem  to  have  been  swept 
from  one  extremity  to  the  other,  and  the  ports  of  almost 
every  Island  strewed  with  wrecks  and  devastation. 
Happily  for  me  the  power  of  the  storm  and  earthquake 
fell  upon  those  villages  in  which  I  have  least  concern. 
But  to  what  point  the  general  confusion  such  an  event 
creates  will  lead  is  more  than  I  can  at  present  determine. 
This  is  not  a  favourable  moment  to  look  around  one. 
Both  the  Indies  are  convulsed  and  we  are  much  in  a 
similar  state  at  home.  Would  to  Heaven  I  could  find 
out  some  vale  immured  in  the  bosom  of  mountains 
to  which  I  could  transport  my  books  and  my  instru- 
ments. I  would  send  you  a  clue  to  enter  my  labyrinth 
as  soon  as  it  was  formed,  but  scarce  any  other  beings 
should  know  that  it  existed.  For  ambitious  spirits 
this  is  not  the  period  to  shrink  out  of  the  way. 
Danger  and  difficulties  are  their  pavements.  But  I  no 
longer  feel  myself  bold  enough  to  tread  such  monsters 
under  foot.  Once  upon  a  time  1  fancied  myself  filled 
with  ambition.  I  looked  this  very  morning  and  could 
not  find  a  grain. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Paris,  Feb.  10th,  1781. 

I  cannot  help  confessing  my  weakness  to  you  .  .  . 
negligence  distracts  me.  Why  did  the  little  Dove  miss 
the  opportunity  of  safely  conveying  her  Letter  when  you 
offered  to  take  care  of  it. — This  want  of  sensibility  on  her 


102  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

part  makes  me  more  miserable  than  I  can  express.  I 
wander  about  this  gay  ghttering  Town  plunged  in  my 
melancholy  reflections  and  lost  to  the  splendid  tumult 
in  which  I  live.  In  the  midst  of  a  great  Ball  or 
at  a  pompous  Supper  where  every  face  is  brightened 
by  conscious  beauty  or  magnificence,  my  heart  fails 
me,  my  countenance  changes,  dark  clouds  of  thought 
come  over  me  and  I  seem  sinking  to  the  ground. 
You  can  define  and  pity  the  cause  of  this  melancholy 
transfiguration. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Paris,  Feby.  10,  1781. 

I  am  settled  as  calmly  as  you  could  desire,  my  dear 
Lady  H.  My  frantic  agitations  are  no  more.  I  pass 
my  hours  in  a  solitary,  melancholy  manner  that  soothes 
my  mind.  Every  now  and  then  I  lull  myself  to  sleep 
with  my  wild  melody.  I  find  myself  transported  to 
Caserta.  I  see  the  brown  hills  which  environ  it,  and  hear 
the  winds  talking  to  each  other  in  the  foliage — Your 
voice  seems  mingled  with  their  murmurs,  and  these,  your 
visionary  accents,  breathe  a  certain  pathetic  tone  which 
makes  me  often  awake  in  tears.  How  could  I  leave  you  ? 
Would  to  Heaven  I  had  remained  instead  of  taking  that 
fatal  journey  to  Venice,  and  throwing  myself  headlong 
into  perils  and  misfortunes.  Their  recollection  makes  me 
start  and  look  trembling  around  like  a  person  just  roused 
from  a  feverish  dream.  Your  letters  of  1st  and  9th 
January  are  just  arrived  and  fill  me  with  the  most  grateful 
and  affectionate  sensations.  I  will  never  call  myself 
unhappy  whilst  I  possess  your  friendship. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton,  Naples 

Paris  :  Hotel  D'Espagne, 
9.0th  Feb.,  1781. 

You  contribute  more  to  my  happiness  than  any  human 
being,  and  if  you  were  but  sensible  of  the  effect  your 
letters  have  upon  me  you  would  wish  the  post  went  out 
every  morning.  My  spirits  revive,  let  them  be  ever  so 
dejected,  the  instant  your  handwriting  appears.  Like  a 
talisman  it  dissolves  every  vapour  that  clouds  my  atmo- 


PARIS 


103 


sphere  and  fills  me  with  exultation.  I  cannot  describe 
how  much  I  sympathise  with  your  ideas  of  the  Iliad. 
That  awful  march  you  have  composed  vibrates  in  my 
ears.  Perhaps,  if  I  am  not  too  presumptuous,  I  have  been 
playing  this  very  evening  a  composition  which  greatly 
resembles  it.  I  shall  remain  contentedly  at  Paris  a  month 
or  six  weeks  longer.  This  is  the  land  of  oriental  literature 
and  I  am  once  more  running  over  my  favourite  poems — 
The  expedition  of  Alexander  in  search  of  the  fountain  of 
Immortality  and  the  affecting  tale  of  Megnoun  and  Leilah. 
Why  cannot  I  mount  the  Hippogriff  and  fly  with  my 
volumes  to  Naples  ?  I  long  to  hear  of  the  passages  from 
the  Odyssey  which  have  last  attracted  your  attention. 
Remember  you  are  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Circean 
Rock.  I  should  enlarge  upon  this  memorable  promontory, 
but  the  post  is  going  out  this  instant,  and  a  legion  of 
stupid  visitors  are  coming  in.  What  shall  I  do  ?  I  have 
only  time  to  beg  you  will  give  my  love  to  Sir  William,  to 
implore  your  never  missing  a  mail,  and  to  assure  my  dear 
Lady  H.  how  sincerely  I  remain  her 
Most  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

The  V.  de  Choiseul  has  not  come  in  my  way.  If  he 
is  your  friend  I  am  extremely  sorry  for  it.  Mention  to 
Lady  Morton  that  her  son  is  everything  she  could  most 
desire. 

William  Beckford  to  Gaspara  Pacchierotti 

Paris,  12  March,  1781. 

I  cannot  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  employing  the 
few  moments  I  have  to  spare  in  writing  to  you,  my  dear 
Pacchierotti,  and  in  beseeching  you  will  not  forget  your 
promise  of  coming  to  Fonthill — There  you  will  enjoy 
tranquillity  in  the  midst  of  those  who  are  truly  sensible  of 
your  excellence, — without  hearing  idle  talk  and  vulgar 
clamours. 

Let  me  entreat  you  to  return  once  more  to  me  and 
your  good  friend  Lady  Mary.*    Abandon  that  capricious 

*  This  reference  to  Lady  Mary  is  elucidated  by  an  extract,  copied  by 
Beckford,  and  preserved  among  his  papers,  from  the  Morning  Post, 
Saturday,  December  19,  1789  : 

Lady  Mary  Duncan  is  more  engaged  with  Pacchierotti  in  the  study 


104  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Town  of  Venice,  and  despise  its  empty  acclamations — 
Your  musical  conceptions  are  far  too  noble  and  trans- 
cendent for  the  corrupt,  enervate  Audiences  of  [illegible'], 
A  few  silly  women  and  their  puny  Danglers,  are  not 
calculated  to  feel  the  heroism  of  "  Sabinus  "  or  "  Quinto 
Fabio."  Your  song  is  of  a  loftier  nature  than  that  to 
which  Italy  for  these  many  Ages  has  been  accustomed. 
So  touching  a  voice  and  so  sublime  a  manner  would  have 
inspired  a  second  Curtius  to  have  cast  himself  into  the 
Gulph,  and  another  Regulus  to  have  returned  to  certain 
Death  for  the  welfare  of  his  Country.  I  have  always 
thought  you  inspired,  my  dear  Pacchierotti,  and  were  this 
the  season  of  Inspiration,  a  statue  would  be  decreed  to 
your  Honour.  Ingratitude  is  but  too  common  in  these 
modern  times — or  else  what  treasures  would  reward  the 
transports  you  have  occasioned. 

For  my  own  part,  I  feel  the  weight  of  my  obligations — 
and  shall  never  be  happy  till  I  have  discharged  them. — 
Give  me  an  opportunity,  my  dear  Friend — relinquish  your 
journey  to  Mantua — and  return  without  delay  to  England. 
I  think  of  settling  at  Fonthill  in  June — and  could  you  but 
do  the  same,  I  should  cease  to  think  myself  unhappy. 
You  will  find  my  attachment  invariable.  It  is  more  than  a 
Day  we  have  passed  together,  and  every  hour  increased 
my  good  opinion.  If  you  act  wisely,  my  dear  Friend,  if 
you  value  an  existence  which  does  so  much  honour  to 
Humanity — if,  in  short,  you  have  any  regard  for  me — 
take  a  firm  resolution — and  before  two  months  elapse, 
let  me  repeat  to  you  over  and  over  again — how  sincerely 
I  am 

Your  most  affectionate  and  obliged  Servant 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

My  best  Comp*'*  to  Beston — who  I  hope  will 
accompany  you — and  to  whom  I  beg  you  will  present  the 
warmest  assurance  of  my  attachment. 

of  Ancient  Musick,  and  by  their  mutual  efforts  they  have  made  consi- 
derable progress — simple  contrapunto  may  soon  be  got  through^  and  as 
soon  be  abandoned  ;  it  suited  not  the  extreme  refinementof  their  parts. — 
Descant  upon  plain  Song  did  not  occupy  them  much  longer. — Now  they  are 
got  into  the  more  intricate  subtleties  of  the  Art,  working  in  the  way  of 
Contrary  Motion,  rurmin^  fugues  on  agreeable  passages,  taking  points  per 
assim  and  thesin,  moving  divisions  rede  and  retro,  &c. — Long  may  their 
Modulations  be  prolonged  !  and  long  may  their  final  Cadence  be  retarded 


PARIS 


105 


William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Your  Letter  of  the  6th  March,  my  dear  Louisa,  found 
me  absorbed  in  Musick  bent  over  my  instrument  and  dis- 
solved in  Tears.  I  had  just  received  a  few  Lines  from  my 
dearest  Friend,  and  was  recalling  to  my  mind  the  tranquil 
hours  we  had  passed  together — Shall  I  ever  be  again  so 
fortunate,  must  I  bid  an  eternal  farewell  to  those  enchant- 
ing moments?  Will  he  lose  that  amiable  childishness 
we  doat  upon  ?  No — I  flatter  myself  he  will  not — his 
Letters  breathe  its  genuine  spirit  and  are  tinted  with  our 
own  beloved  melancholy — Adieu,  remember  next  Summer 
we  shall  be  wafted  to  Hesperia  and  enjoy  its  fables  and 
Sunshine — Write  me  an  answer  immediately  however 
short.  In  a  month  we  shall  probably  meet — what 
consolation  there  is  in  that  idea — Goodnight — I  will  dwell 
upon  it. 

Paris,  Wednesday,  March  \Uk^  1781. 
10.  O'clock  Eve. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Paris,  April  2dj  1781. 

You  do  not  know  how  unlucky  I  think  myself  never  to 
receive  any  of  your  letters.  Why,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton, 
have  you  forgotten  they  were  my  greatest  consolation  ?  I 
would  give  worlds  to  fly  to  Naples  and  ask  in  person  the 
reason  of  your  silence.  But  I  have  solemnly  promised  my 
mother  to  return  and  in  about  a  week  shall  set  forwards, 
I  believe,  for  England.  How  I  enjoyed  your  Italian 
spring,  your  soft  sea  breezes  and  transparent  sky.  Had  I 
not  been  infatuated,  we  should  have  enjoyed  them  together. 
Music  is  ever  my  principal  delight  and  comfort,  and  I  am 
cruelly  abused  for  loving  it  so  well.  Lord  Morton  reads 
me  many  a  severe  lecture  upon  this  subject,  and,  waxing 
wiser  and  wiser,  increaseth  in  stiffness  every  day.  I  fear 
I  shall  never  be  half  so  sapient  nor  good  for  anything  in 
this  world,  but  composing  airs,  building  towers,  forming 
gardens,  collecting  old  Japan,  and  writing  a  journey  to 
China  or  the  moon.  There  are  not  many  to  whom  I 
would  make  so  extravagant  a  confession,  but  in  you,  my 
dear  Lady  Hamilton,  I  place  my  whole  soul  of  confidence. 


106  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Pray  let  me  be  informed  a  little  how  you  pass  your  time 
at  present  and  whether  Sir  William  be  still  Nimroding  it 
away  upon  the  mountains. 

Margate,  April  14^A,  1781. 
I  am  just  landed  shaking  every  nerve  and  casting  eager 
looks  towards  [word  illegible].  The  Eve  is  clear  and  cool, 
the  Sun  set  red  and  troubled,  I  have  been  walking  on  a 
green  open  field  which  crowns  a  cliff,  and  deploring  my 
strange  fate,  that  fatal  power  of  distracting  others  and  of 
imbibing  myself  too  soft — too  fond  affections.  .  .  .  What 
Adventures  have  I  to  relate,  my  dear  Friend,  .  .  .  They 
will  make  you  tremble.  .  .  .  Come  to  me  in  the  course  of 
to-morrow  Eve  that  I  may  have  the  comfort  of  telling  you 
again  and  again  how  sincerely  I  am  your  aff. 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Fuller  particulars  of  this  Continental  excursion  are  to 
hand  in  the  volumes,  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and 
Incidents,"  written  by  Beckford,  and  based  upon  notes 
made  by  him  during  the  tour,  my  memory,"  he  said, 
"  supplying  what  was  wanted."  The  book  is  made  up  of 
impressionist  sketches  made  as  his  mind  dictated,  and 
nowhere  did  he  allow  himself  to  be  shackled  by  the  rules 
laid  down  for  their  guidance  by  the  compilers  of  works  of 
travel.  If  any  one  wants  particulars  of  any  town,  topo- 
graphical or  historical,  it  is  not  to  "Dreams,  Waking 
Thoughts,  and  Incidents  "  he  must  refer  ;  but  if  he  desires 
exquisite  word-pictures  inspired  by  a  brilliant  imagination 
and  conveyed  with  great  literary  skill,  these  he  can  find  to 
his  heart's  content. 

Shall  I  tell  you  my  dreams?  (So  runs  the  opening 
passage.)  To  give  an  account  of  my  time  is  doing,  I 
assure  you,  but  little  better.  Never  did  there  exist  a  more 
ideal  being.  A  frequent  mist  hovers  before  my  eyes,  and, 
through  its  medium,  I  see  objects  so  faint  and  hazy,  that 
both  their  colours  and  forms  are  apt  to  delude  me.  This 
is  a  rare  confession,  say  the  wise,  for  a  traveller  to  make  : 
pretty  accounts  will  such  a  one  give  of  outlandish  coun- 
tries :  his  correspondents  must  reap  great  benefit,  no 
doubt,  from  such  purblind  observations.    But  stop,  my 


"DREAMS  " 


107 


good  friends ;  patience  a  moment ! — I  really  have  not  the 
vanity  of  pretending  to  make  a  single  remark,  during  the 
whole  of  my  journey :  if  be  contented  with  my  vision- 
ary way  of  gazing,  I  am  perfectly  pleased ;  and  shall  write 
away  as  freely  as  Mr.  A.,  Mr.  B.,  Mr.  C.,  and  a  million 
others  whose  letters  are  the  admiration  of  the  politest 
circles. 

In  many  ways  these  sketches  are  but  a  further  series  of 
letters  not  dissimilar  to  the  introspective  correspondence 
already  printed  in  this  work  :  they  contain  the  same  self- 
examination,  the  same  interest  in  the  effect  of  places  and 
scenes  upon  the  writer,  together  with  eloquent  descriptions 
of  nature — of  which  the  following  may  be  given  as  an 
instance. 

The  next  post  brought  us  over  hill  and  dale,  grove  and 
meadow,  to  a  narrow  plain,  watered  by  rivulets  and  sur- 
rounded by  cliffs,  under  which  lies  scattered  the  village  of 
WoUrathshausen,  consisting  of  several  cottages,  built 
entirely  of  fir,  with  strange  galleries  hanging  over  the 
way.  Nothing  can  be  neater  than  the  carpentry  of  these 
simple  edifices,  nor  more  solid  than  their  construction; 
many  of  them  looked  as  if  they  had  braved  the  torrents 
which  fell  from  the  mountains  a  century  ago  ;  and,  if  one 
may  judge  from  the  hoary  appearance  of  the  inhabitants, 
here  are  patriarchs  who  remember  the  Emperor  Lewis  of 
Bavaria.  Orchards  of  cherry-trees  impend  from  the  steeps 
above  the  village,  which  to  our  certain  knowledge  produce 
no  contemptible  fruit. 

Having  refreshed  ourselves  with  their  cooling  juice,  we 
struck  into  a  grove  of  pines,  the  tallest  and  most  flourish- 
ing perhaps  we  ever  beheld.  There  seemed  no  end  to 
these  forests,  save  where  little  irregular  spots  of  herbage, 
fed  by  cattle,  intervened.  Whenever  we  gained  an  emin- 
ence it  was  only  to  discover  more  ranges  of  dark  wood, 
variegated  with  meadows  and  glittering  streams.  White 
clover  and  a  profusion  of  sweet-scented  flowers  clothe  their 
banks ;  above,  waves  the  mountain-ash,  glowing  with 
scarlet  berries ;  and  beyond,  rise  hills  and  rocks  and 
mountains,  piled  upon  one  another,  and  fringed  with  fir 
to  their  topmost  acclivities.     Perhaps  the  Norwegian 


108 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


forests  alone  equal  these  in  grandeur  and  extent.  Those 
which  cover  the  Swiss  highlands  rarely  convey  such  vast 
ideas.  There,  the  woods  climb  only  half  way  up  their 
ascents,  and  then  are  circumscribed  by  snows:  here,  no 
boundaries  are  set  to  their  progress,  and  the  mountains, 
from  their  bases  to  their  summits,  display  rich  unbroken 
masses  of  vegetation. 

As  we  were  surveying  this  prospect,  a  thick  cloud, 
fraught  with  thunder,  obscured  the  transparence  of  the 
horizon,  whilst  flashes  startled  our  horses,  whose  snorts 
and  stampings  resounded  through  the  woods.  What 
from  the  shade  of  the  firs  and  the  impending  tempests, 
we  travelled  several  miles  almost  in  total  darkness.  One 
moment  the  clouds  began  to  fleet,  and  a  faint  gleam 
promised  serener  hours,  but  the  next  all  was  gloom  and 
terror ;  presently  a  deluge  of  rain  poured  down  upon  the 
valley,  and  in  a  short  time  the  torrents,  beginning  to  swell, 
raged  with  such  fury  as  to  be  with  difficulty  forded.  Twi- 
light drew  on,  just  as  we  had  passed  the  most  terrible ; 
then  ascending  a  steep  hill  under  a  mountain,  whose  pines 
and  birches  rustled  with  the  storm,  we  saw  a  little  lake 
below.  A  deep  azure  haze  veiled  its  eastern  shore,  and 
lowering  vapours  concealed  the  cliffs  to  the  south ;  but 
over  its  western  extremities  a  few  transparent  clouds,  the 
remains  of  the  rays  of  a  struggling  sunset,  were  suspended, 
which  streamed  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  and  tinged 
with  tender  pink  the  brow  of  a  verdant  promontory. 

After  his  return  to  Fonthill  Beckford  worked  hard  at 
the  task  of  converting  his  notes  into  a  work  that  should  be 
at  least  a  succes  d'estime, 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  John  Lettice 

Fonthill, 

Augst,  31st,  1781. 

I  begin  to  despair  of  ever  seeing  you  again  at  Fonthill 
and  shall  think  soon  you  are  as  rooted  to  your  Hill  as  its 
Laurels.  We  have  a  mighty  bustle  here  and  a  beastly 
confusion  of  workmen  from  which  the  Lord  deliver  me ; 
but  I  have  got  a  trick  of  going  to  Whitham  and  exploring 
its  deep  glades  and  branching  oaks,  with  Mrs.  P.  Beckford. 


"DREAMS" 


109 


I  am  impatient  to  have  you  look  over  my  Italian  Journey 
and  will  do  my  best  to  make  it  worth  looking  at.  Unless 
there  is  a  good  solid  trunk  that  cuts  fair  and  sound  in  the 
grain  I  would  not  give  a  farthing  for  leaves  and  flowers, 
so  I  propose  being  >  wise  and  solemn  in  the  Letter  of 
reflections  and  not  luxuriant  and  sentimental.  Yesterday 
arrived  a  fine  Epistle  from  Count  B.  so  full  of  quaint 
Compliments  and  high  flown  Speeches  that  I  was  quite 

bewildered.    Madame  s  imagination  is  inexhaustible ; 

but  I  think  the  Count's  golden  vein  begins  to  be  mixed 
with  baser  metals. 

You  know  I  have  set  my  heart  upon  the  success  of 
my  book,  and  shall  not  at  all  relish  its  being  only  praised 
as  a  lively,  picturesque  excursion.  A  great  Painter  who 
plays  upon  the  violin  had  much  rather  be  complimented 
upon  his  Musical  talent  than  for  his  excellence  in  his 
profession.  .  .  . 

The  further  history  of  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts, 
and  Incidents  "  may  here  be  told.  In  April  1782,  Beck- 
ford  was  able  to  report  that  the  work  was  finished ;  but 
as  he  took  the  manuscript  with  him  when  shortly  after  he 
went  abroad, "  we  can  not  publish  till  after  Christmas,"  he 
told  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley;  but  he  consoled  himself 
for  the  delay  as  this  was  "  the  best  moment  too,  I  believe." 
In  due  course  the  book,  a  handsome  quarto,  was  printed 
and  bound,  and  it  was  about  to  appear  in  the  spring  of 
1783  when  Beckford  determined  to  suppress  it. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

April  IS,  1783. 

I  have  been  considering  and  reconsidering,  and  cannot 
reconcile  myself  in  the  least  with  the  idea  of  committing 
my  Dream  to  the  wide  world,  therefore  must  beg  you  will 
stop  advertisements,  entries  at  Stationer's  Hall,  etc.  etc. 
Don't  too  imagine  I  shall  change  my  mind  any  more,  this 
determination  is  as  fixed  as  the  sun.  As  for  the  copies  I 
shall  have  them  locked  up  like  my  title-deeds.  Not  one 
shall  transpire,  so  Hamilton  must  go  without  his  large 


110  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

paper  for  some  years  to  come.  I  have  desired  Mr. 
Wildman  to  settle  everything  concerning  expenses.* 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

CoLOGNY,  near  Geneva^ 

Nov.  mh,  1783. 

.  .  .  You  have  the  only  copy  which  exists  of  the  only 
production  of  mine  which  I  am  not  ashamed  of,  and  with 
which  I  am  not  disgusted.  Thank  God,  Vathec  at  least 
has  produced  no  misunderstandings,  and  I  may  still  dwell 
upon  its  recollections  with  pleasure,  but  how  can  I  endure 
my  Book  of  Dreams  when  I  reflect  what  disagreeable 
waking  thoughts  it  has  occasioned  us.  If  you  have  a  mind 
to  reconcile  me  to  it,  let  me  be  assured  you  are  not  less 
my  affectionate  friend  than  when  you  silenced  the  hiss  of 
serpents  at  Fonthill.  Neither  Orlando  nor  Brandi  were 
ever  more  tormented  by  demons  and  spectres  in  an  en- 
chanted castle  than  William  Beckford  in  his  own  hall  by 
his  nearest  relatives. 

The  story  goes  that  Beckford  suppressed  "Dreams, 
Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents  "  by  the  advice  of  his 
friends,  who  represented  that  the  brilliant  imagination 
therein  displayed  would  create  a  prejudice  against  him 
when  he  should  enter  the  more  practical  field  of  public 
life ;  but  it  can  scarcely  be  seriously  contended  that  this 
was  the  reason  why  at  the  eleventh  hour  the  book  was 
withdrawn.  From  the  first  of  the  two  letters  printed 
above  it  might  be  deduced  that  the  author  was  not  satis- 
fied with  the  merits  of  the  book;  but  the  second  letter 
hints  at  some  other  cause.    As  a  matter  of  fact  there  were 

*  Six  copies,  it  is  said,  were  preserved ;  and  of  these  one  is  in  the 
British  Museum  Library  and  two  are  in  the  Charter  Room  at  Hamilton 
Palace.  One  of  the  Hamilton  Palace  copies  is  that  used  by  Beckford 
when  revising  the  work  for  inclusion  in  "  Italy,  Spain  and  Portugal,"  and 
this  contains  copious  notes  and  alterations  in  the  author's  handwriting. 

In  1891  the  late  G.  T.  Bettany  reprinted  (from  the  copy  in  the 
British  Museum),  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents,"  with 
others  of  Beckford's  works  in  a  volume  of  the  "  Minerva  Library,"  entitled 
"  Vathek  and  European  Travels." 


"DREAMS" 


111 


rumours,  started  no  one  knows  how,  of  grave  misconduct 
on  Beckford's  part,  and  probably  it  was  thought  that  the 
romantic  tendencies  laid  bare  in  the  work  might  give  some 
colour  to  them.  These  rumours  endured  through  Beck- 
ford's  life,  and  the  scandal  was  certainly  widely  circulated ; 
but  there  seems  to  have  been  absolutely  no  ground  what- 
ever for  the  charges.  That  Beckford  should  deny  them 
was  of  course,  and  indeed  he  protested  passionately  against 
them;  but  even  John  Mitford,  an  envenomed  critic  of 
the  life  of  his  brother  author,  had  to  admit  that  Samuel 
Richard  White,  Beckford's  solicitor,  a  man  who  knew 
more  about  the  matter  than  any  other,  after  his  client's 
death,  as  during  his  lifetime,  always  believed  in  his  inno- 
cence. The  subject  is  distasteful  and  happily  need  not 
further  be'pursued  beyond  saying  that  neither  in  "  Dreams, 
Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents,"  nor  in  any  other  of 
Beckford's  works,  is  there  a  line  that  could  possibly  give 
countenance  to  the  rumours. 


CHAPTER  VI 


COMING  OF  AGE  (1781) 

Beckford  returns  from  his  second  Continental  tour  :  Stays  awhile 
in  London  :  Goes  to  Fonthill  :  Invitations  sent  out  for  a 
house-party  at  Fonthill  for  Beckford's  coming  of  age  :  The 
festivities  on  that  occasion  :  "  A  fine  frenzy  for  three  days  "  : 
Visits  Mount  Edgcumbe 

Returning  from  his  second  Continental  tour  earlier  than 
was  the  original  intention  Beckford  landed  at  Margate  on 
April  14, 1781 ;  and,  proceeding  to  London,  stayed  awhile 
with  his  mother  at  West  End,  before  going  to  Fonthill. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton. 

London,  April  20tky  1781. 

English  phlegm  and  frostiness  nips  my  slight  texture 
to  death.  I  cannot  endure  the  composed  indifference  of 
my  Countrymen.  What  possessed  me  to  return  amongst 
them  ?  The  Island  is  lovely  without  doubt — its  woods 
and  verdure  unparalleled.  But  such  inhabitants  !  Ye  Gods  ! 
why  cannot  I  drive  them  all  headlong  into  the  sea  and 
have  the  vacant  space  to  myself  and  such  beings  as  you 
whom  I  love  from  the  depth  of  my  heart  ?  London  is 
sillier  than  ever  and  more  ridiculously  dissipated.  My 
health  will  not  permit  me  to  join  the  universal  whirl  if  I 
had  ever  so  great  an  inclination.  Everybody  raves  about 
Mon""-  Vestris  and  is  astonished  that  I  care  not  how  high 
nor  how  lightly  he  capers.  And  yet  these  poor  enthu- 
siasts have  no  tolerance.  Every  one  speaks  in  raptures  of 
music  and  Pacchierotti.  Must  I  wait  till  a  peace  for  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  you  and  listening  again  to  your 
divine  music — the  only  sounds  which  can  soothe  and 
tranquilhze  my  mind  ?    I  cannot  bear  the  idea  of  waiting 

112 


LONDON 


113 


so  long — I  say,  so  long,  for  unless  I  am  egregiously  mis- 
taken we  have  nothing  in  perspective  but  war  and  desola- 
tion. I  shall  forget  these  horrors  when  engaged  up  in  my 
forests  at  Fonthill,  and  not  stir  from  my  retirement  unless 
it  be  in  company  with  Ulysses.  Dont  you  think  I  must 
take  care  not  to  follow  him  into  the  flowery  land  of  Lotus  ? 
You  know,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  I  am  already  but 
too  apt  to  forget  myself. 

You  cannot  imagine  with  what  emotion  I  play  over 
the  airs  which  remind  me  of  Caserta  and  the  solitary  hours 
we  have  passed  together.  I  still  seem  to  view  the  brown 
autumnal  tints  of  the  mountains.  I  hear  the  rushing  of 
the  torrent.  How  often  have  I  heard  its  hoarse  and 
angry  murmur  at  midnight  when  my  sleep  was  scared  by 
frightful  dreams,  and  my  mind  a  prey  to  the  most  cruel 
agitations.  You  pitied  me — nay  more — it  is  to  your 
affectionate  advice  I  owe  the  comparative  calm  of  my 
present  existence.  Do  not,  however,  imagine  that  it  is 
not  too  frequently  broken  in  upon.  I  am  pestered  with 
visitors  to  such  a  degree  that  I  wish  myself  in  Nova 
Zembla.  Every  morning  there  is  a  fall  of  tickets  at  my 
door  where  they  lie  as  deep  as  snow  reproaching  me  for 
the  secret  but  steady  resolve  of  never  returning  them. 
What  can  I  do  ?  Good  night.  I  am  forced  to  break  off 
in  a  hurry.  My  mother  begs  I  would  add  a  great  many 
kind  things  in  her  name.  I  have  but  an  instant  left  and 
that  I  cannot  resist  employing  in  imploring  you  to  write 
to  your  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Assure  Sir  William  that  I  think  of  him  almost  every- 
day and  regret  not  being  able  to  visit  the  rocks  of  Victis 
in  his  company  beyond  expression.  Give  my  best  com- 
pliments to  that  oddity  Tierney  and  pray  let  me  know  if 
the  Galuzzi  be  at  Naples. 

April  25tk  1781. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

West  End,  June  lOtk  1781. 

It  is  a  soft  warm  evg.  I  sit  in  a  tent  with  my  eyes 
half  closed  and  fancy  I  discover  your  labyrinth  at  the 

H 


114  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

base  of  Vesuvius,  its  broom  and  cypress  waving  with  the 
breeze  from  the  bay.  Even  your  form,  though  faint  and 
hazy,  seems  to  appear  at  a  distance.  Why  must  I  awake 
from  such  pleasing  illusions  ?  I  find  myself  so  near  that 
ugly  word,  "  London  "  !  My  health  does  not  allow  me  to 
see  it  through  a  flattering  medium.  Had  I  but  spirits  to 
enter  into  its  vanities  who  knows  but  I  might  be  the  last 
to  discover  them.  In  less  than  three  weeks  I  shall  be 
established  at  Fonthill  in  the  midst  of  my  lawns  and 
thickets.  No  fashionable  vagabonds,  I  hope,  will  invade 
my  retirement.  You  know  what  a  strange  nervous  being 
I  am,  and  how  unfit  for  everyday  society.  But,  thank 
Heaven,  I  am  much  less  exotic  than  I  was,  and  far  more 
inclined  to  be  reasonable.  In  time  probably  I  may 
descend  to  the  ordinary  level — at  least  1  hope  so — for  my 
head  feels  giddy  in  soaring  so  high  in  the  air.  Though 
probably  contented  in  this  good  Island  I  cannot  help  sigh- 
ing after  the  shores  of  Posilippo  and  the  clear  azure  which 
makes  it  appear  to  such  advantage.  I  wish  I  was  a 
squirrel  to  hang  on  the  pines  which  impend  above  the 
grot,  or  some  gay  fly  that  haunts  the  inaccessible  crevices 
of  the  cliffs  which  bloom  with  flowers.  But  after  all  I 
had  better  retain  my  own  form  lest  you  should  be  alarmed 
at  my  leaps  or  startled  by  my  flutterings.  I  long  to  hear 
more  favourable  accounts  of  your  health,  and  if  I  remain 
a  fortnight  without  receiving  my  letter  shall  tremble  and 
be  miserable.  Spare  me  then,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton, 
and  do  not  omit  writing  if  only  a  line.  Consider  how 
earnest  I  am  when  you  are  the  subject  of  my  thoughts, 
and  believe  I  shall  never  forget  your  kindness.  What 
would  I  not  give  to  have  some  conversation  with  you 
upon  the  Iliad.  I  am  vain  enough  to  imagine  I  should 
make  you  less  averse  to  Achilles.  Hector  is  doubtless 
more  amiable  but  what  feeling  breast  can  refrain  to  sigh 
with  the  young  Grecian  and  his  agonising  on  the  shore 
after  the  murder  of  Patroclus.  I  compose  much  all 
day  long,  and  could  sing  you  an  air  more  plaintive  than 
Caro  Luci.  You  will  not  be  concerned  to  hear,  I  believe, 
that  I  think  of  Venice  with  indifference.  I  look  back  on 
my  past  dreams  with  contempt  and  coolness.  Wish  me 
joy,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  and  be  conscious  you  are 
the  chief  cause  of  my  present  serenity.  Adieu.  Give 
my  love  to  Sir  William  and  express  how  gratefully  I 


FONTHILL 


115 


remember  his  affection.  Need  I  say  that  I  am  your  most 
obhged  and  most  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 
From  my  Cell,  July  2nd,  1781. 

My  eyes  are  better ;  but  would  have  been  much  more 
so  had  they  but  seen  you  last  Wednesday.  .  .  .  The  pure 
air  of  the  range  has  greatly  relieved  my  cold  and  of  conse- 
quence my  Spirits.  I  suffer  myself  to  be  lulled  by  the 
murmurs  of  Pan  in  his  favorite  grove,  and  when  Evening 
draws  on  listen  to  the  Language  of  the  Rooks  with  atten- 
tion— all  this  is  amendment,  for  in  the  great  City  where 
most  was  required  I  paid  no  attention  to  anything.  .  .  . 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

FoNTHiLL,  July  IMh,  1781. 

This  is  an  age  of  wonders.  Astronomers  prate  about 
an  orb  which  has  just  made  its  appearance  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  sun  fraught  with  a  deluge.  For  ought  I 
know  to  the  contrary  an  earthquake  has  shoved  Naples 
beyond  the  Great  Wall  of  China  or  surely  I  should  have 
received  ere  now  another  letter  from  my  dear  Lady 
Hamilton. 

We  are  appalled  with  no  prodigies  at  Fonthill,  but 
vegetate  like  the  trees  in  an  ordinary  manner.  The 
lawns  are  beautifully  green  and  the  hills  Arcadian,  yet  I 
think  to  transplant  myself  to  Naples  and  enjoy  a  little 
conversation  with  you.  It  is  a  long  dismal  while  since  I 
have  heard  what  has  become  of  you.  I  should  have  no 
objection  to  setting  out  immediately  on  purpose  to  see. 
Are  you  at  Portici  or  Posilippo  ?  Do  you  walk  under  the 
favourite  pines  in  the  wood  you  used  to  tell  me  about,  or 
do  you  read  Homer  in  the  pagliers  amongst  myrtle  thickets 
on  the  mountain's  side  ?  I  hope  you  often  touch  your 
pianoforte.  In  that  case  I  think  you  will  sometimes 
recollect  me,  and  I  confess  I  cannot  bear  the  idea  of 
being  forgotten.  Mr.  Lettice  has  just  returned  to 
London.  Burton  is  here  and  we  compose  from  morning 
till  evening.  Next  month  arrives  Pacchierotti.  What 
an  unspeakable  delight  to  Lady  Mary  Duncan.  Ten  to 
one  but  she  marches  to  Fonthill  and  the  organ  shall  open 
its  loudest  stops  to  trumpet  forth  her  praises.    I  never 


116  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

allow  it  to  rattle  but  upon  great  occasionSj  and  then 
cotton  up  my  ears — with  profound  veneration.  My 
mother  urges  me  without  ceasing  to  visit  our  holy  uncle 
at  Bath,  the  everlasting  C[harles]  H[amilton]  who,  it 
seems,  is  building  a  house  to  his  garden  and  adding  peach 
house  to  grape  house  and  pinery  to  pinery  on  the  slope  of 
the  crescent  hill  which  is  already  more  than  half  embroi- 
dered with  his  vagaries.  Till  I  do  hear  a  little  how  you 
are  I  think  not  one  line  more  shall  you  receive  from  your 
most  sincere  and  affectionate 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Sir  William  Hamilton  prophesied  there  would  come  a 
time  when  I  should  rarely  be  blessed  with  your  letters. 
Heaven  avert  so  desolate  a  period. 

Mrs.  Beckford  desired  that  her  son's  coming-of-age 
should  be  celebrated  with  great  festivities,  and  she,  and  at 
her  request,  Beckford,  sent  out  in  August  invitations  to  a 
large  number  of  relations  and  friends  to  stay  at  Fonthill  at 
the  end  of  September. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Harcourt 

I  wish  from  my  heart  that  your  Camp  lay  extended  on 
the  Downs  which  we  look  at  from  Fonthill  as  in  that  case 
the  desire  of  seeing  you  there  next  September  would  not 
be  so  very  inordinate.  Most  of  my  Friends  will  be  assem- 
bled. Why  not  give  me  the  greatest  of  satisfactions — that 
of  seeing  you  amongst  the  number  ?  Col.  Harcourt  must 
think  me  one  of  the  strangest  of  Animals  for  making  so 
extravagant  a  request  and  I  shall  never  believe  that  Miss 
Danby  has  done  wondering  till  to  her  great  surprize  she 
finds  herself  at  Fonthill — 1  will  then  try  at  least  to  per- 
suade her  that  there  is  nothing  or  ought  to  be  nothing 
extraordinary  in  going  above  a  hundred  Miles  perfectly 
out  of  one's  way  to  see  a  friend  by  inspiration.  Our 
acquaintance,  you  know,  began  under  that  glorious 
Power's  immediate  influence  and  I  see  no  objection  to 
its  being  continued  in  the  same  strain.  Now  I  dare  say 
you  will  laugh  at  the  seriousness  with  which  I  entertain 
hopes  of  my  petition  not  being  rejected — nay,  the  more 


FONTHILL 


117 


if  it  is — ^let  me  tell  you  I  shall  be  Fool  enough  to  be 
seriously  disappointed. 

Cozens  is  here  very  happy,  very  solitary  and  almost  as 
full  of  Systems  as  the  Universe.*  .  .  .  Since  I  left 
London — I  have  heard  no  more  of  a  certain  beauteous 
personage  whose  incursion  filled  us  mutually  with  alarms. 
— Continue  to  be  firm  and  resolute,  but  above  all  things 
take  a  resolution  of  being  at  Fonthill  the  28th  of  Sep- 
tember and  celebrating  with  us  the  Vigil  of  all  Goose 
day.f 

Fonthill,  Augt.  15thj  1781. 


William  Beckford  to  Lord  Thurlow 

Aug.  17,  1781. 

My  Lord, 

I  am  encouraged  by  my  Mother  to  put  yr.  L^  in 
mind  of  the  agreeable  Hopes  you  gave  me  of  casting 
another  Look  upon  Fonthill — and  if  not  taking  too  great 
a  liberty  to  request  the  Honour  of  your  Company  particu- 
larly on  the  28th  and  29th  of  Sept.  Many  of  my  friends 
will  be  then  assembled,  and  it  is  not  to  be  expressed  with 
what  pleasure  and  exultation  I  should  see  your  Lordship 
among  the  number. 

My  Mother  desires  her  best  Comp*',  and  I  remain  with 
the  highest  respect  and  affection, 

Your  Lordship's  most  obedient  and  humble  Serv', 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Lord  Thurlow  to  William  Beckford 

1781. 

Dear  Sir, 

From  the  first  hour  I  knew  you  I  have  taken 
great  interest  in  your  welfare,  and  have  seen  your  im- 
provement advance  with  sincere  satisfaction.  If  my 
Partiality  does  not  deceive  me.  Few  have  attained  Their 
Majority  more  amply  prepared  to  take  upon  themselves 

*  This  is  a  reference  to  Alexander  Cozens,  the  artist,  who  had  written 
a  book  on  "  Principles  of  Beauty  relative  to  the  Human  Head,"  and  was 
now  engaged  in  the  preparation  of  "  A  New  Method  of  Assisting  the 
Invention  in  Drawing  original  loose  positions  of  Landscape." 

•j-  Although  Beckford's  birthday  was  October  1,  it  was  found  more 
convenient  to  celebrate  his  majority  on  Michaelmas  Day. 


118  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

their  own  Government,  and  I  shall  congratulate  you  on 
the  event  w^ith  unmixed  satisfaction.  1  shall  be  much 
mortified,  if  any  accident  should  prevent  my  attending 
you  at  Fonthill  by  the  28th  of  Sept. 

I  am, 

vv^ith  perfect  regard 
Dear  Sir 
Your  most  faithful  k  affectionate 
Friend  &  Servant 

THURLOW^. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Duchess  of  Bedford 

Sept.  8,  1781. 

Your  Grace  will  certainly  think  me  very  unreasonable 
in  proposing  a  party — above  an  hundred  miles  off — and  still 
more  vain  in  flattering  myself  that  yr.  Grace  will  take  the 
trouble  of  coming  as  far  as  Fonthill — where  we  are  to 
have  some  dancing  and  music  on  the  28th  September  and 
the  following  days. 

If  the  Miss  Vernons  love  dancing,  and  have  any  faith 
in  Pacchierotti  perhaps  they  may  join  with  me  in  persuad- 
ing your  Grace  to  honour  us  with  your  presence.  The 
Duke  will  hardly  think  it  worth  while  to  take  a  journey 
across  Salisbury  Plain  for  a  Ball — or  else  I  should  be  very 
happy  to  see  him. 

My  Mother  desires  her  best  Comp*^  and  I  have  the 
honour  to  remain — 

Your  Grace's  very  obedient  and  humble  Servant, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD.* 

The  birthday  festivities  differed  in  no  way  from  those 
customary  on  such  occasions  among  wealthy  county 
magnates.  A  great  party  was  assembled  at  Fonthill,  and 
for  a  week  there  were  music  and  dancing,  illuminations  and 
feasting.  On  Friday,  September  28th,  most  of  the  guests 
had  arrived  and  one  hundred  persons  sat  down  to  break- 
fast in  the  great  arched  Grecian  Hall ;  and  no  less  than 
three  times  the  number  were  present  at  the  five  o'clock 

*  The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bedford  had  other  engagements  for  the 
end  of  September. 


COMING  OF  AGE  319 

dinner.  After  dinner  there  was  a  ball  and  supper  given 
to  the  neighbouring  gentry,  and  dancing  and  card-playing 
were  kept  up  until  dawn.  On  Saturday,  the  park  of 
Fonthill  was  crowded  with  the  inhabitants  of  surrounding 
villages,  and  dinner  was  served  in  three  great  booths  :  two 
hundred  of  the  Wiltshire  tenantry  and  their  sons  were 
regaled  in  one  of  these  ;  the  others  being  reserved  for  the 
people  of  Hinton,  men,  women,  and  children,  to  the 
number  of  one  thousand — Hinton  being  a  town  in  Beck- 
ford's  parliamentary  interest.  To  the  seven  or  eight 
thousand  other  folk  food  and  beer  were  distributed  in  the 
open.  Beckford  gave  a  grand  dinner  to  his  friends  and 
neighbours,  and  indulged  them  with  a  concert  of  vocal  and 
instrumental  music,  in  which  the  particular  star  was 
Pacchierotti  ;  after  which  the  grounds  were  illuminated, 
bonfires  were  lighted,  and  fireworks  displayed.  On  Sunday 
Dr.  Lettice  preached  ;  and  on  Monday,  to  the  host's 
immense  satisfaction,  the  company,  except  about  a  score 
of  his  intimates,  departed. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

It  is  a  gloomy  Night  and  I  am  sitting  on  the  summit 
of  the  House  by  a  Reservoir  where  Water  falls  drop  by 
drop.  At  intervals  I  discover  the  slow  journey  of  the 
Moon  thro'  misty  clouds.  Deep  below — in  the  great 
portico — are  several  people  walking  backwards  and  for- 
wards,— I  think  disconsolately— or  do  I  only  imagine  so 
because  I  myself — your  poor  — am  melancholy  and 
disconsolate. — What  different  scenes  you  survey  at 
Naples — clear  azure  above — and  beneath  a  pure  expanse 
of  Ocean  which  the  Moon  spangles  v/ith  brilliants. — Must 
I  not  enjoy  these  happy  prospects  with  my  dear  Lady 
Hamilton  ? — Will  you  condemn  me  to  this  murky  spot- 
like  an  Enchantress  that  binds  an  aerial  spirit  to  the 
Earth  ? — Can  I  not  hurry  to  see  you  with  the  sanction  of 
your  approbation — and  say,  presenting  myself  before  you — 
Here  am  I  escaped  from  the  tempests  of  England — from 
politics,  commotions,  and  brawls — will  you  not  shelter 
me  ?  " — What  good  can  such  a  Being  as  me  be  of— in  our 


120  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


boisterous  Parliament  ?  Enter  it  I  must — but  'tis  my 
own  fault  if  I  sacrifice  to  Ambition  both  Health  and 
enjoyment. — No,  let  me  be  happy  and  flutter  in  the  light — 
a  few  years  longer. — Let  me  spread  the  wings  of  imagina- 
tion a  season — Age  will  soon  draw  on — and  the  gay  texture 
be  shrivelled — Then  I  will  mump,  growl,  snarl,  bite,  and 
be  political — This  Morn — yr.  aff.  Letter  of  the  7th  was 
delivered  me — and  I  leaped  for  joy — and  ran  wildly 
over  my  Lawn — and  up  the  hill  and  down  on  the  other 
side — into  a  retired  valley — where  I  mused  upon  its  con- 
tents a  full  Hour. — Alas,  it  is  very  true — musick  destroys 
me — and  what  is  worse  I  love  being  destroyed. — Rather 
had  I  die  in  this  style  than  live  in  any  other.  You  have 
no  idea  to  what  a  pitch  my  voice  and  expression  has 
risen — and  will  be  sorry  to  learn  that  I  sing  far  better  than 
when  you  used  to  hear  me  at  Caserta. — My  beautiful 
cousin,  Mrs.  P.  B*^ — Lord  Rives's  Daughter — is  with  us 
at  present — and  has  imbibed  with  avidity — ten  thousand 
insinuating  notes  in  the  style — of  Caro  Luci.  I  wonder 
what  Daemon  presides  over  this  dangerous  melody — if  I 
knew,  I  would  entreat  him  to  withdraw  his  influence — and 
beg  some  sober  psalm-singing  Angel  to  grant  me  his 
sleepy  protection. — Ask  Sir  W""  in  the  name  of  con- 
science— what  harm  your  fair  climate  will  do  me  ? — For  I 
cannot  be  more  relaxed — unless  dissolving  intirely  I  was 
to  mix  with  some  other  element. 

Your  Abbe  Sterkel  I  believe  is  as  mad  as  myself. 
Why  do  you  not  banish  him  to  Lapland  ?  You  who  are 
more  sensible  than  all  of  us  put  together  ought  to  be  pre- 
scribed to  take  up  your  residence  on  the  banks  of  Hudson's 
Bay — track  Elks  every  day  on  the  snow,  and  be  refreshed 
with  train  oil  of  an  Evening. — Are  you  not  ashamed  to 
remain  in  so  enervating  a  region  as  Italy  ? — Get  along — 
and  take  a  fair  mansion  with  50  casements  in  front  at 
Augsburg — and  a  Villa  at  Einsiedeln — and  give  dinners 
to  Burgomasters'  wives— and  coop  yourself  up  in  a  black 
velvet  petticoat. — No  cutting  out  of  antique  Figures — no 
reading  about  Hector  and  Achilles — no  writing  to  such 
a  Trifler  as  me — Bibles  you  shall  enjoy — provided  you 
double  down  the  book  of  Job,  Isaiah — and  other  poetical 
prophets — Sir  W""  shall  never  open  his  Lips  about 
Vesuvian  or  Etruscan  vases — your  fingers,  eternally 
mimped  up  in  a  decent  pair  of  mittens,  shall  forget  their 


FONTHILL 


121 


Divine  excursions  on  the  piano  Forte — in  short  you  shall 
lose  all  fire  and  sentiments — cease  quavering — grow  fat, — 
dull, — lumpish, — and  reasonable. 

FoNTHiLL,  30th  Aug\  1781. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

FoNTHILL,  Oct.  lUh,  1781. 

Am  I  doomed  never  to  hear  from  you  again,  my  dear 
Lady  Hamilton,  and  must  I  believe  the  heats  of  Naples 
are  more  oppressive  than  those  of  Bengal  ?    My  time  of 
late  has  been  lost  in  perpetual  bustle,  and  Fonthill  exhibited 
an  appearance  little  better  than  Bartholomew  Fair.  Were 
you  to  know  the  crowds  that  have  pressed  in  upon  me,  the 
swilling  of  punch,  the  cramming  of  venison,  the  torrent  of 
fulsome  compliments  and  begging  epistles,  you  would 
allow  perhaps  that  I  had  sound  reason  for  wishing  myself 
at  Naples.    Can  you  wonder  that  the  charming  scenery 
of  the  bay  is  continually  present  to  my  imagination,  and 
that  I  would  give  up  anything  almost  to  ramble  about  the 
coasts  of  Baiae  in  your  company  ?    How  I  should  delight 
in  climbing  the  promontory  of  Miseno  and  finding  you 
seated  upon  its  summit !    What  long  interesting  evening 
conversations  we  might  enjoy  in  those  solitary  situations  ! 
Do  you  recollect  the  ruined  columbariums  near  Agrippino's 
tomb  overgrown  with  myrtle  ?    Are  not  those  spots  for 
us  to  ramble  in  ?    I  recollect  everything.  I  remember  too 
well.    1  often  wish  I  had  no  more  memory  or  keen  and 
nervous  feelings  than  your  dog  that  grows  slick  upon  milk 
and  macaroni.    My  spirits  are  not  sufficiently  rampant  to 
describe  the  tumult  of  balls,  concerts  and  illuminations  in 
which  we  were  engaged  here  a  fortnight  ago.    I  will  only 
say  that  Pacchierotti,  Tenducci,  and  Rauzzini,  sang  like 
superior  beings  in  a  little  opera  composed  upon  the  occa- 
sion ;  that  Burton  played  like  one  possessed,  and  all  the 
world  danced  like  demoniacs.    It  was  a  fine  frenzy  for 
three  days,  and  not  being  able  to  sleep  soundly  the  whole 
time  I  had  not  the  misfortune  of  coming  to  myself,  and 
was  as  gay  as  my  neighbours.    Above  ten  thousand 
people  all  neatly  dressed  covered  the  lawn  and  the  hills 
which  rise  over  it.    The  glory  of  bright  blue  coats  and 
scarlet  farthingales  made  the  distant  slopes  as  gay  as  a 
field  of  poppies.    Whilst  women  and  children  ran  frolicking 


122  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

about  the  terraces,  the  farmers  and  substantial  tradesmen 
were  feasting  in  tents  erected  below  at  regular  distances. 
The  view  from  the  noble  portico  of  the  house  presented 
that  of  a  great  piazza  600  feet   by  460  feet.  Most 
travellers  were  reminded  of  the  area  of  St.  Peters,  and 
you  may  imagine  the   thousands    and   thousands  of 
lamps  that  shone  forth  as  soon  as  it  was  evening  did  not 
destroy  the  illusion.    The  bold  spaces  of  the  colonnades 
and  loftiness  of  the  portico  certainly  favoured  it.    On  the 
desert   down   which   terminates   the  woody  region  of 
Fonthill  blazed  a  series  of  fires.  Their  light  was  doubtless 
the  reverse  of  mournful,  but  still  perhaps  you  would  have 
thought  of  Troy  and  the  funeral  of  Hector.    Every  now 
and  then  the  shouts  of  the  populace  and  the  sound  of  the 
wind  instruments  filled  the  air.    At  intervals  mortars 
were  discharged  and  a  girandola  of  rockets  burst  into  clear 
bluish  stars  that  cast  a  bright  light  for  miles.    On  the  left 
of  the  house  rises  a  lofty  steep  mantled  with  tall  oaks 
amongst  which  a  temple  of  truly  classical  design  discovers 
itself.    This  building  (sacred  to  the  Lares)  presented  a 
continued  glow  of  saffron-coloured  flame,  and  the  throng 
assembled  before  it  looked  devilish  by  contrast.    As  soon 
as  the  arch  which  formed  the  entrance  to  the  temporary 
square  was  lighted  up  and  the  whole  range  of  tents  illu- 
minated, the  Lord  Chancellor  Thurlow,  Lady  Dunmore, 
her  daughters,  and  a  great  many  of  our  friends  and  rela- 
tions, walked  all  over  the  lawn  and  hill,  the  crowd  dividing 
to  give  us  passage.    When  we  had  reached  the  summit  of 
the  hill  and,  standing  under  the  portico  of  the  Fane  I 
have  just  mentioned  as  sacred  to  my  tutelary  divinities, 
looked  down  on  the  plain  below  the  scene  was  nearly 
allied  to  enchantment.    The  hum  and  buzz  of  such  a 
multitude  in  groves  but  a  few  hours  ago  so  solitary  struck 
me  beyond  expression.     I  could  not  believe  myself  at 
Fonthill.    I  rubbed  my  eyes.    I  thought  the  whole  a 
dream.    And  now  that  the  splendid  vision  vanished,  the 
woods  still,  the  lawns  deserted,  1  can  hardly  persuade 
myself  they  were  ever  otherways. 

Adieu.  I  must  break  off  to  prepare  for  a  journey  to 
Mount  Edgcumbe.  Pacchierotti  is  of  the  party  and 
Lady  M.  Duncan,  who  is  more  preciously  fond  of  him 
than  a  she-bear  of  its  suckhng.  We  set  forwards  to- 
morrow.   The  weather  is  quite  Italian  and  the  oddity  of 


MOUNT  EDGCUMBE  123 


the  expedition  most  truly  original.  Burton  will  not  be 
left  behind,  and  Mrs.  P.  Beckford  is  determined  to  follow. 
Dont  forget  giving  my  love  to  Sir  William,  let  the  heats 
be  ever  so  great  or  yourself  ever  so  relaxed  and  nervous. 
Write,  if  you  have  any  regard  for  one  who  to  his  last 
hour  will  feel  himself  most  affectionately  yours 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Mount  Edgcumbe, 

Wed.  Oct,  11  th,  1781. 

Here  I  am  breathing  the  soft  air  of  Mount  Edgcumbe 
standing  upon  the  brink  of  a  Cliff  overlooking  the  Sea  and 
singing  Notturnos  with  Pacchierotti.  Innumerable  In- 
sects are  humming  about  the  Myrtles  and  Arbutus  which 
hang  on  the  steeps  and  are  covered  with  blossoms. 

I  cannot  help  thinking  myself  in  an  Isle  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean — to  which  if  we  believe  Pindar  and  his  poetic 
Brethren  the  Souls  of  Heroes  are  transported.  Here  are 
the  very  paths  I  ran  over  two  years  ago — the  pines  against 
which  I  rested — the  Bank  where  I  stretched  myself  out 
and  fell  into  one  of  my  happy  dreams.  I  have  visited  all 
my  old  haunts  and  paid  my  oblations  at  a  Spring  that  1 
am  certain  is  the  result  of  Sylvanus.  Would  that  you 
could  see  me  bounding  along  the  Terrace  which  hangs 
bold  and  free  above  the  Ocean.  You  would  almost  appre- 
hend I  should  trust  myself  to  the  Air  and  leap  off  the 
edge  of  the  precipices. 

We  have  been  blessed  to-day  with  a  Sky  of  the  purest 
Azure  and  soft  breezes  like  those  of  Spring.  I  have  been 
up  and  down  and  everywhere  upon  the  Rocks.  No  creek, 
no  Crevice,  I  believe  have  been  left  unexplored.  You 
would  delight  in  the  picturesque  fragments — the  crooked 
pines  and  luxuriant  shrubs  amongst  which  I  have  passed 
my  Day.  Pacchierotti,  as  happy  and  enraptured  as  myself, 
does  nothing  but  sing  and  thank  Heaven  that  he  has 
entered  a  Region  so  like  his  Native  Italy. 


CHAPTER  VII 

"VATHEK"  (1782-83) 

The  history  of  the  composition  of  *^^Vathek"  :  A  misunder- 
standing or  a  misstatement  ;  The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  :  Beck- 
ford  conceives  the  idea  of  "Vathek/'  and  proceeds  to  write 
it  :  Henley  translates  it  :  The  author's  appreciation  of  the 
translation  :  Correspondence  between  Beckford  and  Henley  : 
Beckford  decides  that  the  original  and  the  translation  shall 
be  published  simultaneously  :  Henley  publishes  his  version 
without  permission  :  His  weak  defence  of  his  action  :  Henley 
states  in  his  preface  that  there  was  an  Oriental  original  :  Beck- 
ford's  indignation  :  He  publishes  "  Vathek "  at  Lausanne  and 
Paris  :  The  sources  of  "Vathek"  :  Some  appreciations  of  the 
story  :  The  unpublished  "  Episodes  "  of  "  Vathek  " 

Admirable  as  are  his  books  of  travel,  Beckford  has 
come  down  to  posterity  as  the  author  of  "  Vathek,"  which, 
by  a  freak,  he  wrote  in  French,  and  so  gave  to  the  htera- 
ture  of  France  a  masterpiece  by  an  Enghsh  writer — an 
incident  unique  in  the  annals  of  letters. 

The  history  of  the  composition  of  this  story,  in  itself, 
as  we  shall  see,  simple  enough,  has,  however,  been  com- 
plicated by  a  statement  made  by  Beckford.  "  I  wrote 
'  Vathek '  when  1  was  barely  twenty-two  years  of  age,"  he 
told  Cyrus  Redding  in  1835.  "  1  wrote  it  at  one  sitting. 
It  cost  me  three  days  and  two  nights  of  hard  labour.  I 
never  took  off  my  clothes  the  whole  time.  This  severe 
application  made  me  very  ill."  Nothing  apparently  could 
be  clearer  than  this  account,  and  it  was  accepted  uncon- 
ditionally for  more  than  half  a  century :  then,  Beckford's 
correspondence  with  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  being 
recovered,  it  was  shown  to  be  entirely  inaccurate.  It  fol- 
lows, therefore,  that  either  Cyrus  Redding  misunderstood 

124 


REV.  SAMUEL  HENLEY  125 

his  informant,  or  that  Beckford  deceived  him.  Redding's 
reports  of  his  conversations  with  Beckford,  however,  are 
so  clear,  and  this  particular  statement  is  garnished  with  so 
much  detail,  that  we  are  forced  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
author  was  at  fault.  It  is  difficult  to  accept  the  suggestion 
made  by  Dr.  Garnett  that  Beckford's  memory  was  con- 
fused, for,  notwithstanding  he  was  speaking  more  than 
fifty  years  after  "Vathek"  was  written,  his  mind  was 
perfectly  clear  and  his  reminiscences  of  other  things  in 
days  equally  remote  thoroughly  trustworthy ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  not  in  keeping  with  the  frankness  of 
Beckford's  character  that  he  should  have  been  posing  for 
effect ;  and  a  possible  solution  is  that  he  was  speaking,  not 
of  "  Vathek,"  but  of  one  of  the  "  Episodes  "  of  "  Vathek." 

It  was  not  later  than  the  autumn  of  1781  that  Beckford 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley,  to 
whom,  in  connection  with  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts, 
and  Incidents,"  reference  has  already  been  made  in  these 
pages.  Henley,  who  was  born  in  England  in  1740,  had 
gone  to  America,  and  there  had  secured  the  Professorship 
of  Moral  Philosophy  in  the  William  and  Mary  College, 
Williamsburg,  Virginia.  When  the  War  of  Independence 
broke  out,  his  loyalty  prompted  him  to  return  to  his 
native  land,  and,  shortly  after  his  arrival,  he  was  appointed 
an  assistant-master  at  Harrow  School,  where  to  his  care 
were  entrusted  two  lads,  cousins  of  Beckford  on  his 
mother's  side.  Beckford  met  the  tutor,  and  found  in  him 
a  congenial  companion.  Henley,  indeed,  was  a  man  of 
sound  attainments  and  literary  tastes,  and  a  correspondent 
on  antiquarian  and  classical  subjects  with  Michael  Tyson, 
Richard  Gough,  Dawson  Turner,  Bishop  Percy,  and  other 
scholars.  It  was  his  acquaintance  with  Arabic  and 
Persian,  however,  that  especially  endeared  him  to 
Beckford,  who  was  still  full  of  enthusiasm  for  the 
"Arabian  Nights";  and  probably  their  conversations 
about  this  work,  and  a  chance  suggestion  of  Henley, 
aroused  in  the  younger  man  the  train  of  thought  that  led 


126  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

him  to  contemplate  the  composition  of  a  "  Suite  des 
Contes  arabes." 

Beckford  was  fascinated  by  the  idea,  and  he  eagerly- 
sought  for  the  germ  of  a  story. 

The  spirit  has  moved  me  this  Eve,  and  shut  up  in  my 
Appartment  as  you  advised,  I  have  given  way  to  fancies 
and  inspirations  (he  wrote  to  Henley  on  January  21, 1782). 
What  will  be  the  consequences  of  this  mood  I  am  not 
bold  enough  to  determine. 

This  solitary  communion  with  his  ever-vivid  imagina- 
tion bore  fruit  almost  at  once,  for  eight  days  later  he  was 
able  to  tell  Henley  that  he  was  at  work  on  a  story. 

I  suppose,  my  dear  Sir,  I  am  indebted  to  you  for  the 
capital  epistle  which  Hamilton  has  written  to  me,  and 
which  amused  me  not  a  little,  though  my  imagination, 
the  eve  it  arrived,  was  wrapped  in  the  thickest  of  gloom. 

You  are  answerable  for  having  set  me  to  work  upon  a 
Story  so  horrid  that  I  tremble  whilst  relating  it,  and 
have  not  a  nerve  in  my  frame  but  vibrates  like  an 
Aspen. 

There  will  be  no  proceeding  in  our  work  without 
many  long  consultations, — therefore  shall  I  trouble  you 
with  myself  as  soon  as  I  can  escape  the  plagues  of 
London  with  any  decorum. — Probably  some  time  next 
week. 

The  next  reference  to  "  Vathek,"  still  unnamed 
however,  is  in  a  letter  to  the  same  correspondent  on 
April  25. 

By  the  bye,  my  Arabian  tales  go  on  prodigiously,  and 
I  think  Count  Hamilton  will  smile  on  me  when  we  are 
introduced  to  each  other  in  Paradise.^ 

At  last,  in  an  undated  letter,  we  read  that  "  The  Tale 

*  Count  Hamilton  is,  of  course,  his  ancestor,  the  author  of  '^Le 
Quatres  Fa9adins." 


"VATHEK"  127 

of  Caliph  Vathec  goes  on  surprisingly." — "  Vathec,"  it  is 
called,  not  "  Vathek and  on  May  1,  there  is  another 
allusion  to  the  story : 

My  Caliph  advances  on  his  journey  to  Persepolis,  alias 
Istakhar :  but  want  of  time  I  believe  will  force  me  to  stop 
his  immediate  proceedings. 

On  May  15,  Beckford  left  London  for  the  Continent, 
and  here  perhaps  the  narrative  should  be  broken  to  give 
some  account  of  his  wanderings.  This,  however,  may  be 
postponed,  and  the  story  of  the  composition  and  publica- 
tion of  ''Vathek"  continued.  It  is  impossible  to  say 
when  the  story  was  finished,  but  it  must  have  been  early 
in  1783,  for  on  January  13  of  that  year  Beckford  wrote  to 
Henley,  now  Rector  of  Rendlesham,  Suffolk  : 

I  go  on  bravely  with  the  Episodes  of  Vathec,  and 
hope  in  a  few  weeks  to  wind  up  his  adventures. 

Not  until  November  18,  however,  does  he  again 
mention  "  Vathek,"  but  by  this  time  the  manuscript  was 
in  the  hands  of  Henley,  to  whom  he  wrote  from  Cologny, 
near  Geneva : 

You  promised  to  write  to  me.  You  proposed  likewise 
to  translate  Vathec,  which  I  left  in  your  hands. 

Henley,  it  seems,  was  in  no  hurry  to  set  about  the 
task  he  had  volunteered  to  undertake ;  and  in  May  (1784) 
Beckford — for  the  first  time  giving  his  hero  the  name  by 
which  he  is  known — inquires,  "Have  you  finished 
'  Vathek  ? ' "  and  adds,  "  I  am  far  gone  on  another  episode." 
In  the  same  month  he  gave  Henley  permission  to  show 
the  manuscript  to  a  new  pupil,  a  young  friend  of  the 
author. 

Pray  introduce  him  to  Vathek,  whom  at  present  he 
hardly  knows  by  name.    I  suppose  by  this  time  you  are 


128  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

deep  in  the  Halls  of  Damnation,  hearing  the  melancholy 
voice  of  Eblis  in  the  cloud  of  night  and  catching  moon- 
light ghmpses  of  Nouronihar. 

I  long  eagerly  to  read  your  translation,  I  feel  more 
grateful  for  the  pains  you  must  have  taken  about  it  than 
I  can  express. 

In  October  Beckford  still  had  not  seen  the  translation. 

I  spend  many  an  hour  dreaming  about  my  unfortunate 
princes,  and  contriving  reasonable  ways  and  means  of 
sending  them  to  the  devil  (he  wrote  from  Fonthill  on 
October  14).  What  are  you  about  now?  Have  you  got 
a  fair  copy  of  your  translation  ? 

At  last  Henley  sent  a  portion  of  the  manuscript  to 
the  anxious  author,  who  acknowledged  its  receipt  on 
February  26,  1785: 

Your  translation  has  all  the  spirit  of  the  Caliphes  and 
their  Daemons — I  long  for  the  continuation,  and  hope  you 
will  soon  gratify  my  curiosity. 

A  few  weeks  later  Beckford  received  the  rest  of  the 
translation,  whereupon,  on  March  21,  he  wrote : 

You  make  me  proud  of  Vathek.  The  blaze  just  at 
present  is  so  overpowering  that  I  can  see  no  faults, 
but  you  can  depend  upon  my  hunting  diligently  after 
them. 

Pray  send  the  continuation ;  I  know  not  how  it 
happens,  but  the  original  when  first  born  scarce  gave 
me  so  much  rapture  as  your  translation. 

Were  I  well  and  in  good  spirits  1  should  run  wild 
among  my  rocks  and  forests  telling  stones,  trees  and 
flowers,  how  gloriously  you  have  succeeded.  My 
imagination  is  again  on  fire. 

I  have  been  giving  the  last  trimmings  to  some 
Episodes  and  sown  the  seeds  of  another  which  I  trust 
will  bring  forth  fruit  in  good  season. 

I  eagerly  hope  you  will  one  day  or  other  introduce  those 
plants  to  our  English  soil.  We  have  had  a  dismal  winter, 
ground   cracked,   shrubs  pinched,  etc.,   the  workmen 


"VAT  HE  K"  129 

numbed ;  but  I  have  gone  on  sinking  my  princes  to  hell 
with  active  perseverance. 

Beckford,  at  Henley's  suggestion,  carefully  revised  the 
story,  and  on  April  9  wrote  to  the  translator  that  he  much 
approved  of  the  idea  of  prefacing  the  tale  with  some 
explanation  of  its  costume.  The  following  letters  tell 
their  own  tale. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  to  William  Beckford 

Rendlesham,  April  12th,  1785. 

It  is  so  long  since  I  read  the  Arabian  Nights  that  I 
do  not  recollect  them  exactly  enough  to  refer  thither  for 
authorities,  of  which  there  no  doubt  are  manifold,  without 
reading  them  again :  but  this  I  will  do  as  soon  as  I  can 
get  them.  Other  authorities  I  have  collected  which  will 
throw  considerable  light  on  the  costume  of  Vathek,  1 
am  glad  you  approve  the  plan  of  [an]  explanatory  preface. 
When  you  write  next  tell  me  what  you  think  of  the  addi- 
tions mentioned  in  my  last.  Surely  the  superiority  in 
wickedness  entitled  Carathis  to  a  different  and  more  con- 
spicuous punishment  than  the  rest — perhaps  Vathek's  and 
Nouronihar's  should  have  been  also  diversified.  I  say 
only  perhaps,  for  upon  further  reflexion  I  am  somewhat  in 
doubt.  I  confess  myself  a  friend  to  discriminations  in 
every  thing.  The  "  fortem  Gyam  fortemque  Chloanthum  " 
are  not  much  to  my  taste. 

If  you  return  the  copy  of  Vathek  corrected  by  piece- 
meal I  can  apply  the  spare  time  I  have  to  put  it  in  a 
better  train. 

Several  happy  terms  have  occurred  which  I  could  wish 
to  substitute  in  the  place  of  others  already  inserted. 
Surely  for  instance  Vathek  mistaking  the  tattered  awnings 
and  chintzes  for  large  flowers — would  be  better  expressed 
by  palampores  instead  of  chintzes  &c.  &c. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

April  23,  1785. 

I  have  given  my  attention  for  several  days  past  to 
Vathek,  and  have  made  several  little  alterations  you  will 

I 


130  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

not  perhaps  disapprove.  The  Arabian  Nights  will  furnish 
some  illustrations  (particularly  as  to  Ghouls,  etc.)  but 
much  more  may  be  learnt  from  Herbelot's  Bib[lioth^que] 
Orient[ale]:  and  Richardson's  Diss[ertations].  I  know 
not  how  to  make  the  discriminations  you  advise.  I 
have  always  thought  Nouronihar  too  severely  punished 
and  if  I  knew  how  conveniently,  would  add  a  crime  or 
two  to  her  share ;  what  say  you  ?    Let  me  know. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  to  William  Beckford 

I  am  impatient  to  receive  the  part  of  Vathek  you  have 
improved,  for  what  you  call  little  alterations  I  am  confident 
I  shall  find  deserving  a  better  name.    The  Arabian  Nights 
I  expect  great  assistance  from,  but  principally  in  illus- 
trating manners  and  customs.    Herbelot  and  Richardson 
I  have  already  sifted.    Several  other  volumes  (all  within 
my  reach)  I  have  also  ransacked  and  with  no  small  success ; 
insomuch  that  you  will  be  yourself  surprised  to  find  how 
accurate  you  have  in  most  instances  been. — But  tell  me, 
what  must  be  said  of  the  spoons  of  Cocknos  ? — the  butter- 
flies  of  Cachemire  ? — I  cannot  turn  to  the  passage  where 
the  mention  of  the  Bismillah  occurs — but  if  (as  I  think)  it 
is  mentioned  as  introductory  to  prayers,  we  must  discard 
it — for  it  was  not  used  in  this  way  till  the  year  of  the 
hegeira  341,  whereas  Vathek  died  a  century  before. — 
Watering  pots  are  also  mentioned  out  of  place ;  at  least, 
I  conceive  so.    But  of  this  you  can  give  more  certain 
information  from  Niebuhr  in  answer  to  Michaelis  Ques- 
tion XLI.     You  recollect  an  illegible  rhapsody  you 
once  gave  me : — I  enclose  to  you  a  fragment  which  with 
some  alterations  and  additions  I  have  worked  up  out  of 
it,  and  which  I  propose  introducing  in  a  note.    I  say  a 
note;  because,  I  think,  to  exhibit  Vathek  properly  in 
English — there  should  be  some  account  given  of  the 
original  and  translation  in  a  preface — then  should  follow 
a  preliminary  dissertation  on  the  Fable  and  Machinery — 
and  to  the  Story  itself,  should  be  subjoined  notes  to  illus- 
trate the  costume :  otherwise  a  very  considerable  part  of 
its  merit  must  be  lost  to  999  readers  of  a  thousand.  The 
information  I  most  want,  relates  to  the  internal  system  of 
the  Khalife  s   palace  —  eunuchs  —  cymbaling  —  clapping 
hands — and  a  few  other  such  articles :  most  of  which  (if 


"VATHEK" 


131 


not  all)  I  apprehend  may  be  found  in  Ricault — but, 
perhaps,  may  be  better  picked  up  incidentally  from  the 
Arabian  Tales.  These,  with  two  other  books ;  one  entitled 
A  Miscellany  of  Eastern  Learning,  and  another  The 
History  of  Eunuchism ;  I  daily  expect  to  receive. 

Suppose  the  catastrophe  of  Carathis  to  run  thus  : — 

"...  and  execrating  the  hour  in  which  she  was  be- 
gotten, and  the  womb  that  had  borne  her,  started  at 
once  into  a  whirl  so  rapid  as  rendered  her  form  alto- 
gether indistinct.  Thus,  with  every  energy  of  her  soul 
intensely  occupied  on  her  immediate  perceptions,  was 
she  doomed  to  wander  in  eccentric  revolutions,  without 
pause  or  remission." 

As  to  Nouronihar,  I  fear  that  it  may  be  objected  that 
she  becomes  too  suddenly  wicked.  "  Nemo  repente  fuit 
turpissimus." — She  has,  however,  Fate  to  plead  {vide  the 
Vision)  and  an  excellent  instrument  in  Vathek  to  accom- 
plish (according  to  the  Eastern  Doctrine)  the  {word  ille- 
gible) decrees  of  fate.  Some  small  discrimination  of 
punishment  however  between  her  and  Vathek  may  be 
easily  introduced.  No  doubt  she  deserved  to  be  damned, 
but  Vathek  deserved  the  heavier  damnation  ;  if  therefore 
the  Punishment  of  Vathek  be  somewhat  aggravated,  the 
end  will  be  perhaps  best  answered  in  that  way. 

If  Gulchenrouz  be  considerable  enough  to  be  men- 
tioned at  the  end  it  should  I  think  be  first — but  perhaps 
he  had  better  be  omitted.  Nouronihar  should  not  be 
overlooked  in  winding  up  the  whole.  These  are  the  only 
vague  hints  that  occur  as  I  write. 

Rendlesham,  26  April. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Saturday  J  11th  June,  1785, 

The  Caliph  Vathek  is  safe  in  my  possession  and  had  I 
not  been  engaged  in  the  very  manner  you  conjecture, 
notice  would  have  been  long  since  sent  to  Rendlesham  of 
his  arrival. 

As  I  have  several  things  of  importance  to  say  to 
you,  I  must  beg  the  favour  of  seeing  you  here  imme- 
diately, as  the  preparations  for  our  journey  are  in  great 
forwardness. 


132  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

I  surmise  you  can  easily  come  in  a  couple  of  days,  and 
I  will  detain  you  no  longer  than  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  the  revisal  of  Vathek,  the  selection  of  notes,  and  the 
explanation  of  doubtful  passages. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  to  William  Beckford 

Rendlesham,  1 5th  June,  1785. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  no  new  disaster  has  befallen  the 
Caliph.  In  defiance  of  Mahomet  I  would  undertake  the 
conduct  of  him  from  his  present  resting-place,  hither ;  if 
it  were  but  in  my  power.  Morally  speaking  it  is  (and  I 
am  extremely  sorry  to  say  it)  impossible  for  me  to  come 
to  Fonthill.  Such  is  the  state  of  my  family  at  present  that 
I  cannot  possibly  leave  it.  One  of  my  children  is  still 
languishing  under  one  of  the  thousand  evils  that  children 
have  to  contend  with,  and  God  knows  how  the  conflict 
will  end  ;  at  the  same  time  my  poor  wife  in  consequence 
of  a  violent  rheumatic  fever  occasioned  by  her  attention 
to  the  little  ones  has  entirely  lost  the  use  of  her  neck,  one 
arm  and  hand,  without  being  able  to  assist  herself  with  the 
other.  The  complaint  is  so  inveterate  as  to  give  no  present 
hopes  of  a  speedy  removal,  and  a  considerable  aggravation 
of  this  evil  is  that  she  has  not  a  friend  nor  a  neighbour  in 
the  whole  county  to  be  with  her.  Indeed,  as  to  all  the 
advantages  and  comforts  of  society  one  had  better  be 
amongst  the  bears  in  Russia,  or  the  Ouranoutangs  of 
Africa,  than  in  this  part  of  Suffolk.  You  see  how  I  am 
circumstanced,  and  therefore  will  consider  my  declining 
the  journey  to  r[onthill]  as  a  hard  necessity  against  which 
I  have  no  remedy. 

With  respect  to  Vathek  whatever  directions  you  have 
to  give  I  will  certainly  observe.  You  shall  neither  com- 
plain  of  my  wanting  moderation  nor  patience.  But,  were 
I  with  you,  unless  I  had  my  books  also,  it  would  be  of  but 
little  avail  as  to  the  notes,  because  they  can  at  present  only 
be  found  by  references  to  my  own  books,  as  I  have  not 
hitherto  had  time  to  transcribe  them. 

Your  usual  place  of  embarkation  is  Margate  if  I 
mistake  not.  Should  you  come  for  shipping  how- 
ever to  Harwich  instead,  the  distance  from  hence  is 
very  inconsiderable  and  in  one  day  we  could  settle  the 
whole. 


"VATHEK" 


133 


In  Vathek,  abt  page  38  or  near  it  of  my  translation 
there  is  an  evening  scene  in  which  I  have  endeavoured  to 
throw  a  little  more  color  than  as  it  stands  there  at  present 
by  putting  it  something  in  this  way  :— 

The  sultry  heat  had  subsided,  the  sky  became 
serene,  the  air  refreshing,  and  the  flowers  began  to 
breathe  their  evening  odours.  The  beams  of  the 
setting  sun  just  breaking  from  the  last  cloud  of  the 
west  lighted  up  the  green  bulges  of  the  mountain 
with  a  golden  verdure,  and  cast  a  ruddy  glow  over 
the  sheep  that  grotesquely  varied  their  sidelong 
shadows  as  they  gambolled  down  its  steeps.  No 
sounds  were  audible  &c. 

Could  you  favor  me  with  a  sight  of  the  Episodes  to 
Vathek  or  any  other  of  the  Tales. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  to  William  Beckford 

Sunday,  19th  June,  1785. 

I  have  this  instant  received  your  letter  and  suppose 
that  by  this  time  mine  in  answer  to  your  last  has  reached 
you.  Had  it  not  been  for  Mrs.  Henley's  illness  1  should 
been  set  out  for  Fonthill  before  the  arrival  of  yours  and 
of  course,  [I  am]  much  mortified  at  not  meeting  you.  I 
am  sorry  to  say  that  her  complaint  is  rather  worse  than 
better. 

The  notes  I  have  selected  are  curious  and  to  the  pur- 
pose, taken  from  Eastern  writers,  or  writers  and  travellers 
who  have  described  eastern  manners,  countries  &c. 
Though  they  be  not  so  numerous  as  to  overwhelm  the 
text,  they  have  nevertheless  cost  me  a  good  deal  of  read- 
ing to  pick  up.  In  their  way  I  think  you  will  allow  them 
to  be  merum  sal  Excepting  the  Isle  of  Kirmith  (is  it  not 
the  Island  of  Kirmuah  ?),  Talapoin,  and  Monker  and  Nekir 
I  do  not  recollect  any  illustrations  that  I  need.  Having 
mended  the  translation  itself  in  a  variety  of  places,  I  want 
much  to  receive  your  corrections  that  I  may  put  the  whole 
together  in  a  way  to  enable  you  to  judge  of  it  as  a  whole. 
If  you  should  not  return  to  Fonthill  and  have  not  the  copy 
with  you  in  town,  will  you  be  so  good  as  to  send  it  before 
you  embark,  and  with  it  the  episodes  of  Vathek  or  any 
other  tales  you  can  spare. 


134  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

If  it  suited  you  to  embark  from  Harwich  as  well  as 
Margate  the  distance  of  that  place  is  not  so  great  as  to 
prevent  our  meeting. 

The  MS.  if  committed  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Wildman 
might  be  forwarded  to  me  (by  Hamilton's  Woodbridge 
coach  which  sets  out  every  Tuesday,  Thursday,  and 
Saturday  morning  from  the  Spread  Eagle  in  Gracechurch 
Street)  directed  to  be  left  for  me  at  Mr.  Page's,  Surgeon 
in  Woodbridge. 

I  forgot  to  mention  that  I  have  been  unable  to  procure 
the  Persian  Tales.  Whether  they  be  out  of  print  or  not 
I  cannot  tell,  but  I  have  applied  repeatedly  for  them 
without  success. 

If  you  have  a  copy  in  town,  cannot  you  send  them  with 
Vathek  ? 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Friday  eve  :  June  22nd  [1785]. 

.  .  .  To-morrow  I  shall  be  in  Guildford,  the  next  day 
at  Canterbury,  Monday  I  hope  to  embark,  .  .  .  and  I 
would  send  the  Episodes,  but  have  not  a  second  copy. 
Vathek  I  have  delivered  to  the  care  of  Mr.  Thornton, 
who  lived  with  Robson,  and  has  now  set  up  for  himself 
in  Southampton  Street. 

Leave  the  description  of  the  Eve:  scene  as  it  was 
originally — we  have  already  more  description  than  we 
know  what  to  do  with.  If  it  were  possible  to  see  you 
at  Dover  I'd  rejoice. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Chateau  de  la  Tour, 

pres  de  Vevay-en-Seine. 

9tk  Feb.,  1786. 

The  publication  of  Vathek  must  be  suspended  at  least 
another  year.  I  would  not  have  him  on  any  account  pre- 
cede the  French  edition.  .  .  .  The  Episodes  to  Vathek 
are  nearly  finished,  and  the  whole  thing  will  be  compleated 
in  eleven  to  twelve  months.  You  must  be  sensible  that, 
notwithstanding  my  eagerness  to  see  Vathek  in  print,  I 
cannot  sacrifice  the  French  edition  to  my  impatience. 
The  anticipation  of  so  principal  a  tale  as  that  of  the  Caliph 


"VATHEK" 


135 


would  be  tearing  the  proudest  feather  from  my  turban.  I 
must  repeat,  therefore,  my  desire  that  you  will  not  give 
your  translation  to  the  world  till  the  original  has  made  its 
appearance,  and  we  have  touched  more  on  the  subject. 
You  may  imagine  how  I  long  for  the  moment  of  enjoying 
your  notes  and  the  preliminary  dissertation,  which  I  doubt 
not  will  be  received  with  the  honours  due  to  so  valuable 
a  morsel  of  Orientalism. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

April  13th,  1786. 

Upon  my  word,  you  pay  Vathek  much  more  attention 
than  he  deserves,  and  do  you  not  think  we  shall  usher  him 
too  pompously  into  the  world  with  a  dissection  of  his  soul 
and  machinery?  Notes  are  certainly  necessary,  and  the 
diss[ertation]  I  myself  should  very  much  approve  but  fear 
the  world  might  imagine  1  fancied  myself  the  Author,  not 
of  an  Arabian  Tale,  but  an  Epic  Poem.  Supposing  you 
finish  your  preface  and  preliminary  discourse,  I  make  no 
doubt  your  good  taste  will  suggest  to  you  a  light  and  easy 
style,  that  Misses  so  may  not  be  scared,  for  after  all,  a 
poor  Arabian  storyteller  can  only  pretend  to  say,  "Virginibus 
Puerisque  canto." 

As  for  the  Rhapsody,  it  deserves  to  be  pushed,  not 
only  into  the  margin  of  the  book,  but  quite  out  of  it. 
Tho'  you  have  given  it  your  privileged  touches,  it  still 
limps  to  excite  compassion  and  as  for  instruction,  don't 
fancy  it  conveys  any.  The  River  Katismir  never  flowed 
but  in  my  brain,  the  nine  pillars  are  entirely  of  my 
creation,  etc.,  etc.  After  this  confession  you  will  not 
seriously  wish,  I  should  think,  to  insert  the  poetical  whirl 
to  Ihelminar. 

I  believe  in  most  respects  I  have  been  exact  in  my 
costume. 

The  Domes  of  Shaddukian  and  Amberabad  you  will 
find  explained  in  Richardson. 

The  Cocknos  is  a  bird  whose  bill  is  much  esteemed  in 
Persia  for  its  beautiful  polish,  and  sometimes  used  as  a 
spoon ;  see  Persian  Tales,  Hist :  of  the  Sorrowful  Vizir, 
and  Zulica  Begum. 

The  butterflies  of  Cachemire  are  celebrated  in  a  poem 
of  Memphis  I  slaved  at  with  Zemir,  the  old  Mahommedan, 


136 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


who  assisted  me  in  translating  W.  Montague's  MSS.  But 
they  are  hardly  worth  a  note. 

I  suppose  you  will  prepare  a  tolerably  long  note  on 
the  Simurgh.  That  respectable  bird  deserves  all  you  can 
say  of  her.  Soliman  Raad,  Sohman  Daki  (not  Dawmins, 
for  God's  sake)  and  Soliman  surnamed  Gian-ben-Gian  will 
furnish  ample  scope  for  a  display  of  oriental  conditions. 
The  Miscell :  of  Elenig  and  the  History  of  Babbaloukism 
may  possibly  help  to  enhghten  your  researches. 

The  catastrophe  of  Carathis  had  better  remain  as  you 
first  intended.  I  am  perfectly  at  a  loss  how  to  deepen 
Vathek's  damnation,  and  as  for  the  end  where  mention  is 
made  of  Gul,  be  assured  we  cannot  improve  it.  The 
period  runs  admirably,  and  for  my  part  I  think  the  con- 
trast between  the  boisterous  Caliph  and  the  peacable  Gul 
not  ill  imagined. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

August  1st,  1786. 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  of  the  12th  June,  and  the 
sentiments  so  feelingly  expressed  in  it.  My  spirits  and 
rest  are  broken,  and  it  is  with  difficulty  I  hold  my  pen. 
The  slow  fever  which  has  been  preying  upon  me  almost 
without  interruption  since  the  latter  end  of  May,  has  most 
disagreeably  diverted  my  attention  from  Vathek,  but  upon 
reading  over  your  letter,  it  appears  you  had  sent  the  MSS. 
for  my  inspection.  If  you  have.  Heaven  knows  its  fate ; 
certainly  it  has  not  reached  my  hands  any  more  than  a 
letter  to  which  you  allude  as  immediately  preceding  your 
last.  I  beg  you  will  clear  up  these  doubts,  being  anxious 
to  receive  your  notes  and  illustrations.  I  fear  the  dejec- 
tion of  mind  into  which  I  am  plunged  will  prevent  my 
finishing  the  other  stories,  and  of  course  Vathek's  making 
his  appearance  in  any  language  .  .  .  this  winter.  I  would 
not  have  him  upon  any  account  come  forth  without  his 
companions. 

Indorse  your  answer  to  Mr.  Foxhall,  No.  19,  Cavendish 
St.,  Cav :  Sq :  and  he  will  forward  it  to  me  without  delay. 

The  dejection  of  mind  from  which  Beckford  was 
suffering  was  the  result  of  the  untimely  death  of  his  wife, 


"VATHEK"  137 

which  had  taken  place  abroad  at  the  end  of  May;  a  lesser 
but  sufficient  blow  followed  close  upon  the  heels  of  this 
tragedy.  In  the  summer  of  1786,  without  giving  any  intima- 
tion to  the  author,  Henley  published  his  translation  of 
"  Vathek,"  with  the  notes,  but  without  the  preliminary  dis- 
sertation. It  can  only  be  supposed  that  he  was  led  to 
commit  this  breach  of  faith  by  the  desire  that  his 
labours  should  not  be  wasted.  Beckford  had  forbidden 
publication  until  the  Episodes  were  ready,  but  he  had 
been  engaged  upon  his  story  for  five  years  and  it  was  not 
yet  finished.  Henley  may  well  have  thought  that  perhaps 
Beckford  might  abandon  the  completion  of  his  task,  and 
that  if  he  waited  for  permission,  he  might  never  be  able 
to  issue  his  version.  This  may  serve  as  an  explanation  of 
his  action,  but  it  cannot  be  accepted  as  an  excuse ;  indeed 
how  poor  a  case  Henley  had  may  be  judged  from  the 
defence  he  made  in  the  following  letter  (now  printed  for 
the  first  time)  written  to  the  solicitor  in  whose  hands 
Beckford  placed  the  matter. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Henley  to  Thos.  Wildman 

Rendlesham,  near  Melton  &  Ipswich, 
23  Octr.,  1T86. 

Sir, 

I  should  have  returned  an  immediate  answer  to 
your  letter,  but  it  came  in  my  absence  from  home,  whilst 
1  was  attending  a  sick  friend  who  is  now  no  more. 

You  begin  your  letter  with  a  charge  in  the  name  of 
Mr.  Beckford,  which  is  a  little  extraordinary  both  as  to 
the  manner  in  which  it  is  expressed  and  also  as  to  its  sub- 
stance— it  is  that  the  copy  of  Yathek  was  entrusted  to  me 
for  the  purpose  of  translating  it  only.  If  anything  (as  I 
cannot  but  suspect)  was  meant  to  be  implied  by  the  word 
entrusted,  more  than  simply  put  into  my  hands,  I  must 
declare  myself  sorry  that  a  person  of  your  liberality  should 
descend  upon  such  an  occasion  to  the  application  of  it,  and 
must  at  the  same  time  take  the  liberty  to  add  that,  I  am 
as  little  used  to  the  abuse  of  any  trust  as  either  Mr. 
Beckford  or  yourself. 


/ 


138  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Upon  second  thoughts,  however,  I  must  acquit  you  of 
intending  the  apparent  insinuation,  because  what  you  have 
immediately  added  leaves  the  offensive  expression  to  be 
considered  only  as  an  inadvertent  one : — for  you  say  that 
Mr.  Beckford's  not  knowing  how  to  account  for  the  pub- 
lication of  my  translation,  arises  from  his  having  written 
to  me  to  delay  it.  Now,  why  should  he  write  to  delay 
a  publication  which  was  never  designed  ? — If  Mr.  B.  will 
give  himself  the  trouble  to  reflect,  he  must  remember  that 
I  was  in  possession  of  the  transcript  of  Vathek  a  consider- 
able time  before  I  ever  thought  of  translating  it,  and  there- 
fore that  the  original  could  not  have  h^eu  entrusted  to  me  for 
the  purpose  of  translating  it  only.  He  will  also  remember 
that  I  undertook  the  translation  at  his  desire,  and  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  publication ;  and  further,  that  he  solicited 
me  to  go  on,  with  the  same  view,  thro'  the  other  tales  to 
which  "Vathek"  belongs.  He  cannot  forget  that  after 
I  had  communicated  the  first  specimen  to  him,  he  gave 
me  no  respite  till  the  whole  was  finished — that  he  expressed 
the  highest  commendation  of  what  I  had  done,  and  not 
only  supervised  and  corrected  my  manuscript,  but  retained 
the  variations  and  additions  I  had  made.  That  the  tran- 
script might  be  benefited  by  his  review,  I  have  his  own 
assurance  that  he  delayed  his  departure  from  England  on 
account  of  it ;  and  since  his  residence  at  Lausanne  I  can 
show  his  communications  of  reference  for  the  sake  of  my 
notes.  In  consideration  of  a  late  unhappy  occurrence  it 
was  my  own  wish  to  have  intirely  suppressed  the  work, 
but  as  I  had  been  employed  upon  it  prior  to  that  event, 
and  was  known  to  be  so  by  some  of  my  friends,  I  could 
not  decline  it  without  favouring  a  charge  that  I  was 
unwilling  to  countenance,  and  therefore  sacrificed  my  own 
inclination  to  what  I  considered  as  a  positive  engagement  to 
Mr.  Beckford — not  however  without  a  precaution  in  the 
preface  which,  if  the  reviews  of  publick  prints  may  be 
trusted,  failed  not  to  answer  its  aim.  Before  my  papers 
went  to  press  I  wrote  to  apprize  Mr.  B.  of  it,  and  as  soon 
as  the  volume  was  printed  I  forwarded  to  him  a  large 
paper  copy.  In  so  doing  I  considered  myself  as  gratifying 
him  in  the  highest  degree. 

It  appeared,  however,  some  time  after  that  Mr.  Beckford 
had  changed  his  mind  with  respect  to  the  separate  appear- 
ance of  Vathek,  and  that  he  wished  my  work  to  be  delayed 


"VATHEK"  139 

till  the  whole  series  of  tales  could  come  forth  together,  but 
his  letter  intimating  this  did  not  pass  the  London  office 
till  the  18th  of  August,  which  was  three  weeks  after  my 
book  was  published.  In  this  letter,  which  was  an  answ^er 
to  one  of  mine  of  the  12th  of  June,  Mr.  B.  tells  me  that  a 
former  letter  to  which  I  had  then  referred  him,  had 
not  found  its  way.  Whether  any  mistake  or  confusion 
has  arisen  upon  that  account  I  cannot  say,  but  thus 
much  I  will  venture  to  affirm  that  my  publication 
will  in  no  respect  detract  from  Mr.  Beckford's  re- 
putation, and  further  that  it  will  rather  have  a  contrary 
effect.  Mr.  B's  last  letter  I  should  have  answered  before, 
but  it  was  mislaid  soon  after  the  receipt  of  it,  and 
not  found  till  a  thorough  rummage  had  been  made  for 
it  today. 

I  am.  Sir, 

Your  humble  Servt, 

S.  HENLEY. 

Mr.  Beckford  cannot  have  forgotten  that  his  desir- 
ing me  to  undertake  the  translation  of  Vathek  was 
occasioned  by  its  not  having  been  translated  to  his 
wishes  by  the  Gentleman  in  whose  hands  it  was  put  for 
the  purpose. 

To  make  matters  worse  Henley  prefaced  his  transla- 
tion with  the  following  note : 


The  Original  of  the  following  Story,  together  with 
some  others  of  a  similar  kind,  collected  in  the  East  by  a 
Man  of  Letters,  was  communicated  to  the  Editor  above 
three  years  ago.  The  pleasure  he  received  from  the 
perusal  of  it,  induced  him  at  that  time  to  transcribe  and 
since  to  translate  it.  How  far  the  copy  may  be  a  just 
representation,  it  becomes  not  him  to  determine.  He 
presumes,  however,  to  hope  that,  if  the  difficulty  of 
accommodating  our  English  idioms  to  the  Arabick,  pre- 
serving the  correspondent  tones  of  a  diversified  narrative, 
and  discriminating  the  nicer  touches  of  character  through 
the  shades  of  foreign  manners,  be  duly  considered;  a 
failure  in  some  points,  will  not  preclude  him  from  all 
claim  to  indulgence :  especially,  if  those  images,  senti- 
ments, and  passions,  which,  being  independent  of  local 


140  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

peculiarities,  may  be  expressed  in  every  language,  shall  be 
found  to  retain  their  native  energy  in  our  own. 

The  story  was  published  anonymously,  but  Stephen 
Weston  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  (January  1787) 
attributed  the  authorship  to  Henley  :  "  '  Vathek,'  it  would 
seem,"  he  said,  "  has  been  composed  as  a  text  for  the  pur- 
pose of  giving  to  the  publick  the  information  contained  in 
the  notes."  Henley,  however,  contrived  to  turn  the  tables 
upon  his  critic.  "  The  supposition  of  Mr.  W.  in  your  last 
Magazine,"  he  replied,  in  the  February  issue  of  the  perio- 
dical, augurs  but  ill,  at  setting  out,  of  his  conjectural 
skill ;  it  being  certain  that  the  said  History  is,  as  the  pre- 
face declares,  a  translation  of  an  unpublished  manuscript. 
.  .  .  But,  though  this  supposition  be  erroneous,  there  are 
three  positions  in  it,  which,  as  coming  from  so  respectable 
a  scholar,  are  highly  flattering  to  the  Translator.  The 
first  is,  that  Mr.  W.,  judging  from  the  notes,  thinks  the 
writing  of  them  equal  to  the  composition  of  the  text.  The 
second,  that,  since  the  translation  hath  passed  with  Mr.  W. 
for  an  original,  it  must  have  some  pretension  to  favour. 
And  the  third,  that  the  notes  are  more  apposite  to  the  text 
than  might  have  been  looked  for,  but  on  the  presumption 
that  the  text  was  built  upon  them." 

This  was  pretty  fencing,  but  imagine  Beckford's 
indignation  when  he  read  in  Henley's  preface  that  the  story 
was  translated  from  the  Arabic :  this  statement  was  in  his 
eyes,  naturally  enough,  a  more  grave  offence  than  the 
unlicensed  publication.  He  did  the  only  thing  in  his 
power  to  vindicate  his  authorship ;  he  forthwith  published 
his  story  in  the  original  French,  both  in  Paris  and 
Lausanne,  the  latter  edition  containing  the  following 
reply  to  Henley's  preface  : — 

L'ouvrage  que  nous  presentons  au  public  a  ete  com- 
post en  Francois,  par  M.  Beckford.  L 'indiscretion  d'un 
homme  de  lettres  a  qui  le  manuscrit  avoit  ^te  confie,  il  y 


"VATHEK" 


141 


a  trois  ans,  en  a  fait  connoitre  la  traduction  angloise  avant 
la  publication  de  Toriginal.  I  ^  Traducteur  a  meme  pris 
sur  lui  d'avancer,  dan  sa  Pre  .  ce,  que  Vathek  etoit  traduit 
de  FArabe.  L'Auteur  s'inscrit  en  faux  contre  cette  asser- 
tion, et  s'engage  a  ne  point  en  imposer  au  public  sur 
d'autres  ouvrages  de  ce  genre  qu'il  se  propose  de  faire  con- 
noitre ;  il  les  puisera  dans  la  collection  pr^cieuse  de  manu- 
scrits  orientaux  laisses  par  feu  M.  Worthley  Montague,  et 
dont  les  originaux  se  trouvent  a  Londres  chez  M.  Palmer, 
Regisseur  du  Due  de  Bedford. 

Which  of  the  editions  of  1787,  that  published  at 
Lausanne  or  that  published  at  Paris,  was  the  first  to 
appear  has  long  been  a  bibliographical  puzzle.  The 
Lausanne  edition,  seen  through  the  press  by  M.  Chavannes, 
is  probably,  indeed  almost  certainly,  entitled  to  priority, 
for  the  text  is  evidently  that  translated  by  Henley.  Yet 
when  copies  of  this  edition  were  sent  to  France,  they  were 
confiscated  by  the  customs.  "  They  could  not  have  been 
seized  as  contraband  if  the  French  edition  had  not  existed," 
wrote  Dr.  Garnett  in  his  introduction  to  "Vathek" 
(London,  1891);  "it  is,  nevertheless,  possible  that^ 
although  protected  by  royal  privilege,  it  had  not  actually 
left  the  press.  The  privilege  bears  date  August  22,  and 
the  registration  September  4."  May  it  not  be,  however, 
that  the  licence  to  print  may  have  carried  with  it  protec- 
tion until  a  reasonable  time  had  elapsed  during  which  the 
manuscript  could  be  set  up,  printed,  and  published  ?  If 
this  was  so,  the  problem  is  solved,  for  the  document  con- 
taining the  "  Approbation  du  Censeur  Royal "  bears  the 
date  January  26,  1787.  The  delay  in  the  publication  of 
the  Paris  edition  is  explained  by  the  fact  that  Beckford 
carefully  revised  the  story,  and  omitting  the  Glossary 
appended  to  the  Lausanne  edition,  printed  in  its  place 
a  number  of  Henley's  notes,  probably  translated  into 
French  by  himself.* 

*  For  particulars  of  subsequent  editions  in  French  and  English  see 
the  Bibliograph}'  appended  to  this  work. 


142  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Though  the  form  in  which  "  Vathek  "  is  cast  was  in- 
spired by  "  The  Arabian  Nights,"  it  is  by  no  means  an 
imitation  of  these  Oriental  tales :  indeed,  the  author  is 
less  indebted  to  them  than  to  the  satirical  romance  of 
Voltaire — "  Voltaire,"  says  Mallarm^,"  imit^  .  .  ,  un  prose, 
qui  plus  souvent  annonce  Chateaubriand,  pent  honorer 
aussi  cet  autre  nom,  Beckford."  In  the  main,  however, 
"  V athek "  is  original.  "  You  could  scarcely  find  any- 
thing like  the  Hall  of  Eblis  in  the  Eastern  writings,  for 
that  was  my  own,"  Beckford  told  Cyrus  Redding.  "  Old 
Fonthill  had  a  very  ample,  lofty,  loud-echoing  hall,  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  kingdom.  Numerous  doors  led  from 
it  into  the  various  parts  of  the  house,  through  dim,  wind- 
ing passages.  It  was  from  that  I  introduced  the  hall — 
the  idea  of  the  Hall  of  Eblis  being  generated  from  my 
own.  My  imagination  magnified  and  coloured  it  with 
the  Eastern  character." 

I  was  of  full  age  when  I  first  committed  "  Vathek " 
to  paper  (Beckford  wrote  to  Clark  about  1832),  and  the 
scenes  which  preceded  and  followed  the  magnificent  cele- 
bration of  my  one-and-twentieth  birthday — the  Egyptian 
halls  and  vaulted  chambers  of  Fonthill,  people  with  the 
prototypes  of  Gulchenrouz  and  Nouronihar  solely  visible 
for  the  consecutive  days  and  nights  by  the  glow  of  lamps 
and  fires — suggested  my  first  ideas  of  the  Palace  of 
Eblis. 

The  author  gives  the  further  information  that  all  the 
females  in  the  book  were  portraits  of  those  in  the  domestic 
establishment  of  old  Fonthill,  "their  fancied  good  or  ill 
qualities  exaggerated  to  suit  my  purpose  ;  but,"  he  added, 
referring  alike  to  characters  and  descriptions  of  scenery, 
"  I  had  to  elevate,  exaggerate,  and  orientalise  everything. 
I  was  soaring  on  the  Arabian  bird  roc,  among  genii  and 
enchantments,  not  moving  among  men." 

"  Vathek "  has  a  curious  combination  of  qualities, 
ranging  from  the  fantastic  scenes  at  the  beginning  in 
which  the  Indian  figures,  to  the  epic  sublimity  of  the 


"VATHEK"  143 

account  of  the  Hall  of  Eblis,  and  the  concluding  catas- 
trophe: there  is  mockery  and  grandeur,  voluptuousness 
and  wit,  cynicism  and  romance.  Could  anything  be  more 
delightfully  extravagant  than  some  of  the  descriptions  of 
the  Caliph  ? 

His  figure  was  pleasing  and  majestic ;  but  when  he  was 
angry,  one  of  his  eyes  became  so  terrible,  that  no  person 
could  bear  to  behold  it;  and  the  wretch  upon  whom  it 
was  fixed  instantly  fell  backward,  and  sometimes  expired. 
For  fear,  however,  of  depopulating  his  dominions,  and 
making  his  palace  desolate,  he  but  rarely  gave  way  to 
his  anger.  ... 

He  wished  to  know  everything;  even  sciences  that 
did  not  exist.  He  was  fond  of  engaging  in  disputes  with 
the  learned,  but  did  not  allow  them  to  push  their  opposi- 
tion with  warmth.  He  stopped  with  presents  the  mouths 
of  those  whose  mouths  could  be  stopped  ;  whilst  others 
whom  his  liberality  was  unable  to  subdue,  he  sent  to 
prison  to  cool  their  blood,  a  remedy  that  often  suc- 
ceeded. 

Addison  and  Johnson  had  chosen  to  cast  stories  in 
Eastern  form,  but  Beckford  entirely  eclipsed  their  efforts, 
and  "  Vathek  "  stands  alone,  supreme,  as  the  only  tale 
with  the  true  Oriental  glamour  fashioned  by  an  English- 
man. Said  Byron,  who,  like  Southey,  did  not  scruple  to 
borrow  from  its  imagery  :  "  For  correctness  of  costume, 
beauty  of  description,  and  power  of  imagination,  it  far 
surpasses  all  European  imitations ;  and  bears  such  marks 
of  originality,  that  those  who  have  visited  the  East  will 
find  some  difficulty  in  believing  it  to  be  more  than  a 
translation  ...  [it  is]  a  work  which  I  never  recur  to,  or 
read,  without  a  renewal  of  gratification."  Not  less  enthu- 
siastic is  the  tribute  of  Stephane  Mallarme  :  "  Tout  coule 
de  source,  avec  une  limpide  vive,  avec  un  ondoiement 
large  de  p^riodes ;  et  leclat  tend  a  se  fondre  dans  la 
purete  totale  du  cours,  qui  charrie  maintes  richesses  de 
diction  inaper9ues  d  abord  :  cas  naturel  avec  un  etranger 


144  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

inquiet  que  quelque  expression  trop  audacieuse  ne  le 
trahisse  en  arretant  le  regard."  Certainly  the  wondro  s 
imagination  that  inspired  "  Vathek,"  and  the  magnificent 
language  in  which  it  is  clothed,  assure  it  a  permanent 
place  among  the  masterpieces  of  English  literature. 

The  Episodes,  narrated  in  the  Hall  of  Eblis,  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  the  correspondence  with  Henley, 
were  to  have  been  four  in  number,  but  one  was  aban- 
doned. In  the  Lausanne  edition  (p.  197)  we  read,  "  Le 
quatri^me  prince  en  etoit  au  milieu  de  son  recit,  quand  il 
fut  interrompu  " ;  in  the  Paris  edition  of  the  same  year 
(p.  160), "  Le  quatrieme  prince  "  is  altered  to  "  Le  troisieme 
prince." 

Curiously  enough,  the  Episodes  have  never  been 
printed,  though  there  is  a  hint  of  possible  publication  in 
the  London  edition  of  "  Vathek  "  (printed  in  French)  of 
1815,  when  we  read  in  the  Preface : 

J'ai  prepare  quelques  Episodes ;  ils  sont  indiqu^s,  a 
la  page  200,  comme  faisant  suite  a  Vathek — peut-etre 
paroitront-ils  un  jour. 

Turning  to  the  page  indicated  we  find  some  lines  not 
contained  in  any  earlier  version  of  the  story  : 

Le  Calife  et  Nouronihar  consentirent  a  cette  proposi- 
tion, et  Vathek  prenant  la  parole,  leur  fit,  non  sans  gemir, 
un  sincere  recit  de  tout  ce  qui  lui  etoil  arrive.  Lorsqu'il 
eut  fini  sa  penible  narration,  le  jeune  homme  qui  avait 
parle,  commen9a  la  sienne  de  la  maniere  suivante. 

Histoire  des  deux  Princes  amis,  Alasi  et  Firouz, 
enfermes  dans  le  palais  du  feu  souterrain. 

Histoire  du  Prince  Barkiarokh  enferme  dans  le  palais 
du  feu  souterrain. 

Histoire  du  Prince  Kalilah  at  de  la  Princesse  Zulkais, 
enfermes  dans  le  palais  du  feu  souterrain. 


"EPISODES"  OF  "VATHEK"  145 

Le  troisieme  Prince  en  etoit  au  milieu  de  son  recit, 
quand  il  fut  interrompu,  etc. 

The  reason  why  the  Episodes  did  not  appear  at  the 
same  time  as  "  Vathek,"  as  was  the  author's  intention,  is 
probably  that  they  were  not  quite  ready  when  he  hurriedly 
published  that  story  at  Lausanne  and  Paris  as  a  reply  to 
the  remark  in  Henley's  preface  to  the  translation,  that  the 
work  was  of  Eastern  origin.  Immediately  on  its  appear- 
ance "  Vathek "  secured  for  Beckford  so  great  a  reputa- 
tion that  he  may  well  have  hesitated  subsequently  to 
print  anything  of  the  same  kind,  for,  though  Rogers  says 
"  Beckford  has  no  wish  to  obtain  literary  reputation ;  he 
despised  it,"  this  was  far  from  being  the  case :  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  Beckford  was  very  proud  of  his  laurels. 
Certainly  he  never  entirely  gave  up  the  idea  of  publishing 
the  Episodes,  and  in  the  last  decade  of  his  long  life,  was 
willing  to  let  Bentley  have  them,  nay,  even  eager  that  he 
should  have  them — at  a  price.  "  I  will  not  let  the  manu- 
scripts go  under  £1000,"  he  said  to  Cyrus  Bedding  in 
1838,  when  the  latter  urged  him  to  publish  them  while  he 
could  still  read  the  proofs  ;  "  I  will  not  let  my  writings  go 
for  nothing."  * 

Beckford  was  proud  of  these  Episodes,  and  delighted 
to  read  them  to  any  man  of  letters.  Rogers  heard  two  of 
them,  and  thought  them  "  extremely  fine." 

"  He  read  me  his  travels  in  Portugal,  and  the  stories 
related  in  that  small  chamber  in  the  Palace  of  Eblis 
(Rogers  wrote  to  Byron  on  February  8,  1818).  The  last 
were  full  of  unimaginable  horrors,  but  of  those  delectable 
personages,  of  Zulkais  and   Kalilah — more  when  we 

meet.t 

Byron,  however,  was  not  content  to  wait  to  hear  more 

*  The  Episodes  will  shortly  be  published  in  an  English  translation  by 
Sir  Frank  T.  Marzials,  C.B. 

f  Moore  ;  "  Life  and  Works  of  Byron,"  vol.  iv.  p.  207. 

K 


146  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

until  he  should  meet  Rogers,  and  he  wrote  in  reply  from 
Venice,  on  March  3 : 

Your  account  of  your  visit  to  Fonthill  is  very  striking: 
could  you  beg  of  him  for  me  a  copy  in  MS.  of  the  remain- 
ing Tales  ?  1  think  I  deserve  them,  as  a  strenuous  and 
public  admirer  of  the  first  one.  I  will  return  it  when  read, 
and  make  no  ill-use  of  the  copy,  if  granted.  Murray  would 
send  out  anything  safely.  If  ever  I  return  to  England, 
I  should  very  much  like  to  see  the  author,  witii  his 
permission.  In  the  meantime  you  could  not  oblige  me 
more  than  by  obtaining  me  the  perusal  I  request,  in  French 
or  English — all's  one  for  that,  though  I  prefer  Italian  to 
either.  I  have  a  French  copy  of  ^'  Vathek,"  which  I  bought 
at  Lausanne.  I  can  read  French  with  great  pleasure  and 
facility,  though  I  neither  write  nor  speak  it.* 

Rogers  dutifully  conveyed  Byron's  wish  to  Beckford, 
who  could  not  bring  himself  to  lend  his  manuscript. 

Your  commission  with  regard  to  certain  unimaginable 
fancies  in  the  shape  of  an  Eastern  Tale,  the  Loves  of 
Kalilah  and  Zulkais,  I  executed  most  faithfully — would  I 
could  say  successfully  (he  wrote  to  Byron  on  November  23, 
1820) ;  he  hesitated,  half  consented,  and  concluded  with 
saying  that  he  hoped  they  would  induce  you  to  venture 
within  the  walls  of  his  Abbey — the  place  of  their  birth, 
and  from  which  they  had  never  wandered.f 

Byron  never  read  the  stories,  nor  did  he  ever  go  to 
Fonthill,  though  he  wrote  to  Beckford  to  suggest  a  meet- 
ing— a  proposal  that  the  older  man  declined.  "  Oh  !  to 
what  good  could  it  possibly  have  led,"  he  said.  "We 
should  have  met  in  full  drill — both  talked  at  the  same 
time — both  endeavoured  to  have  been  delighted — a  corre- 
spondence would  have  been  established,  the  most  insuffer- 
able and  laborious  that  can  be  imagined,  because  the  most 

*  Moore  :  "Life  of  Byron,"  (ed.  1844),  p.  376. 

t  Byron  :  «  Letters  "  (ed.  Prothero),  vol.  v.  p.  138. 


BYRON  AND  BECKFORD  147 

artificial.  Oh,  gracious  goodness,  I  have  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  enjoying  the  best  quaUties  of  his  mind  in  his 
works ;  what  more  do  I  require  ? "  Then  he  added, 
"  Byron  is  a  splendid  bouquet  of  intellectual  voluptuous- 
ness— a  genius — a  great  genius — but  an  irregular  one,  his 
poetic  flight  is  like  that  of  a  fire-fly,  alternate  flashes  of 
light  and  dark." 


CHAPTER  VIII 


MARRIAGE  (1783-86) 

Beckford  decides  to  go  abroad  again  :  His  pleasure  at  leaving 
England  :  Letter  to  Lady  Hamilton  on  the  eve  of  his  departure  : 
Travels  en  'prince  :  His  retinue  :  Lettice,  Errhert,  Burton, 
Cozens  :  Letters  :  Returns  to  England  in  the  spring  of  1783: 
His  marriage  :  Spends  his  honeymoon  on  the  Continent  : 
Letters  :  In  Switzerland  :  The  death  of  his  wife  :  His  grief 

It  is  now  necessary  to  return  to  the  time  when  Beck- 
ford  early  in  1782  decided  to  go  abroad  again.  In  the 
days  of  his  youth  he  could  find  no  attraction  in  England, 
nor,  the  lust  of  building  not  having  yet  stirred  in  him, 
was  he  interested  in  his  estate ;  and  though  when  he  was 
in  London  he  attended  the  entertainments  of  the  great, 
this  was  from  a  sense  of  duty ;  and  it  was  with  a  keen 
sense  of  satisfaction  that  he  left  his  native  country. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

London,  March  ^6th,  1782. 

My  DEAR  Lady  Hamilton, 

This  vile  Country  grows  so  outrageously  turbulent 
that  if  I  stay  three  Months  longer  within  its  precincts  I 
shall  give  up  the  Ghost.  Not  having  health  or  strength 
enough  to  be  heroical,  I  am  determined  to  breathe  peace- 
ably next  Summer  at  Naples  and  I  must  fervently  hope 
before  June  is  elapsed  you  will  see  me  arrive.  Don't  talk 
pompously  or  angrily,  for  the  sake  of  Heaven.  I  really  am 
not  able  to  blaze  at  present  in  the  political  Hemisphere. 
Twelve  months  of  leisure  and  tranquillity  may  prepare  me 
for  as  many  years  of  Torment  and  Illustration.  I  wish  for 
some  snug  Casino  or  other  amongst  the  Cliffs  of  Posilippo 

148 


LONDON 


149 


where  I  may  deposit  Mr.  Lettice,  Cozens'  first  born  (a 
painter  I  bring  with  me)  and  that  eccentric  Animal 
Burton.  As  for  myself,  you  promised  me  a  corner  at 
Portici  into  which  I  shall  joyfully  creep.  Tho'  I  cough 
and  am  half  dead  at  this  moment,  the  thoughts  of  seeing 
you  and  Sir  Wm.  once  more  under  the  blue  Aether  of  Italy 
gives  me  spirits  to  sing  and  dance  like  a  wild  Thing.  I 
shall  bring  ample  stores  of  Musick  and  a  Painter  worthy 
to  imitate  the  Scenery  of  the  Gardens  of  the  Hesperides. 
Don't  you  think  they  still  exist  somewhere  or  other  in 
Calabria  ?  Now,  thank  God,  I  may  live  in  hopes  of 
exploring  the  romantic  spots  Sir  Wm.  has  described  to  me 
and  even  perhaps  of  penetrating  the  woody  region  of 
Mongibello.  You  will  receive  me  with  greater  satisfac- 
tion I  am  certain  when  I  tell  you  my  Mother  entirely 
approves  my  schemes  and  thinks  I  cannot  chuse  a  better 
moment  of  absenting  myself  from  England.  This  poor 
Land,  alas,  is  devoured  by  human  Locusts  and  we  may 
expect  every  other  Egyptian  plague  if  Pharoah's  heart 
continues  hardened.  Pray  tell  that  odd  Being  Tierney, 
or  whatever  his  name  is,  that  I  think  to  revisit  Naples ; 
and,  as  soon  as  you  read  this,  lose  no  time  to  write  that  I 
may  receive  your  commands  and  bring  anything  bringable 
from  England — adieu,  my  dear  Lady  H.  Give  my  love  to 
Sir  Wm.  and  if  he  is  pleased  at  the  thoughts  of  seeing  me 
don't  let  me  set  forth  without  the  comfort  of  knowing  it. 
The  French  live  upon  Islands  this  Spring  and  threaten  to 
suck  up  every  Sugar  Cane  in  Jamaica.  T'other  Night, 
spite  of  national  gloom,  there  was  a  most  dazzling  Fete  at 
Devonshire  House.  I  was  bespangled  like  the  rest  of  the 
World  and  whisked  about  amongst  garlands.  Lustres  and 
simpering  faces  till  six  in  the  morning.  Once  more 
adieu,  and  once  more  let  me  beg  of  you  to  write 
immediately. 

Early  in  May  Beckford  left  London  for  Ostend, 
e7i  route  for  Italy.  On  the  two  previous  tours  he  had 
been  accompanied  only  by  Dr.  Lettice;  but  this  time, 
being  now  the  uncontrolled  master  of  an  enormous  fortune, 
he  took  with  him  a  large  suite.  His  old  tutor  came  with 
him  again,  and,  besides  Errhert,  a  physician,  and  Burton, 
a  musician,  he  had  in  his  train  John  Robert  Cozens,  a 


150  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


landscape  painter  in  water-colours,  who  sketched  the 
scenes  that  attracted  his  employer.  Beckford's  entourage 
filled  three  carriages,  which  were  preceded  by  outriders 
and  followed  by  servants  with  reserves  of  horses ;  it  may 
have  given  him  some  satisfaction  that,  travelling  so 
thoroughly  en  prince,  he  was  at  Augsburg  mistaken  for 
the  Emperor  of  Austria,  who  was  known  to  be  contem- 
plating about  that  time  a  visit  incognito  to  Rome. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Brussels,  May  igtk,  1782, 

My  dear  Louisa, 

After  tossing  and  tumbling  on  the  Sea,  grunting 
and  turning  up  the  nose  at  Ostend,  squashing  and 
splashing  thro'  Meadows  and  Morasses,  here  am  I 
at  length  pretty  peaceably  at  Brussels.  Like  the  Sky, 
I  am  neither  wholly  in  Clouds  nor  in  Sunshine.  INly 
Spirits,  like  the  weather,  are  far  from  settled,  but  seem  on 
the  verge  of  clearing  up.  How  briskly  would  they  flow, 
could  I  sooth  myself  with  the  hope  of  seeing  you  at 
Naples.  Lose  not  the  view  of  that  beloved  Scheme :  it 
may  succeed  if  you  persevere  and  lay  aside  your  Lambish- 
ness.  You  will  ^  add  many  months,  perhaps  years,  to  my 
Life  by  seeing  my  lovely  Sovereign  and  filling  her  head 
with  recollections  of  our  happy  hours  at  Fonthill.  To- 
morrow I  set  forwards  again  and  shall  proceed  without 
stopping  till  we  reach  the  wild  rocks  of  the  Tirol.  I  shall, 
I  dare  say,  enjoy  many  a  deep  reverie  amongst  their  soli- 
tudes in  which  you  will  seem  to  descend  the  Forests  of 
Pine  which  cover  the  Mountains.  Adieu,  my  Love,  how 
does  your  picture  thrive  ? — give  me  an  Account  of  its  pro- 
gress. You  will,  of  course,  let  me  know  if  you  see  that 
noodle  and  what  she  says  in  all  the  confidence  of  silliness. 
If  you  hear  anything  of  me  that  is  at  all  Characteristic  be 
sure  to  let  it  be  mentioned. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

Augsburg,  June  2nd,  1782. 

I  keep  wandering  on  like  a  restless  Spirit  and  only 
wish  some  powerful  Sorcerer  would  lay  me  in  the  red  Sea. 


AUGSBURG 


151 


I  cannot  forget  my  poor  little  Wm.    1  cannot  banish 
from   my  thoughts   those  happy  hours  we  past  last 
Christmas  at  Fonthill.  That  Night  in  particular  haunts  my 
imagination  when  we  arrived  from  Salisbury  and  seemed 
transported  to  a  warm  illuminated  palace  raised  by  Spells 
in  some  lonely  Wilderness.    Don't  you  remember  the  soft 
tints  that  coloured  the  Thames  the  preceding  Evening  ? 
Alas,  I  cannot  chase  one  circumstance  however  trifling, 
from  my  memory.    Thank  Heaven,  you  were  with  me ; 
your  image  is  now  connected  with  the  happiest  recollec- 
tions which  rise  in  my  mind.    Here  am  I  once  more  in 
my  old  apartment,  calling  up  the  long  series  of  events 
which  have  taken  place  since  last  I  saw  it.    You  may 
guess  what  figure  appears  predominant.  ...  I  am  very 
weak  and  tired  with  my  Journey — How  shall  I  support 
the  heats  of  Italy  ?    Your  Son  is  well  and  grows  every 
day  in  my  esteem.    Burton  falls  into  delightful  reveries 
upon  the  Harpsichord,  but  often  touches  certain  chords 
which  bring  all  Fonthill  before  my  Eyes  and  make  me 
run  wild  about  the  Chamber.    The  Weather  is  gloomy 
and  every  Mountain  still  crowned  with  snow.  ...  I  long 
to  hear  from  you  and  to  enjoy  Sunshine.  .  .  .  My  Langour 
is  such  that  I  can  write  no  more.  .  .  .  My  dear  Friend, 
adieu. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Augsburg^  June  9,nd,  1782, 

Thus  far  I  am  advanced  in  my  progress  to  your 
romantic  Bay ;  the  roads  are  almost  impassable,  and  the 
Weather  has  set  itself  against  me,  but  I  have  proceeded 
with  resolution  and  expect  to  see  St.  Peter  s  the  twenty 
ninth  at  farthest.  The  first  days  of  July  will  bring  me 
I  flatter  myself  to  Naples  where  I  shall  deposit  Mr. 
Lettice,  Mr.  Burton,  and  Mr.  Cozens.  Perhaps  you  will 
allow  me  to  ramble  about  your  thickets  and  creep  into  a 
corner  of  one  of  your  Apartments  at  Portici.  How  happy 
I  feel  with  the  idea  of  seeing  you  once  more  my  dear 
Lady  Hamilton,  and  with  the  hopes  of  enjoying  many  a 
serene  sunset  in  your  company.  For  these  Months  past  I 
have  been  anxiously  w^aiting  to  hear  from  you,  and  form- 
ing, according  to  custom,  the  most  alarming  conjectures ; 
but  if  I  am  doomed  to  tell  you  what  I  have  felt  I  shall 


152 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


soon  forget  my  sufferings.  My  God,  if  anything  was  to 
happen  to  you  or  if  you  were  to  have  left  Naples,  what  a 
melancholy  void,  it  would  appear  in  my  eyes ! 

Why  have  you  not  written  to  me  ?  Are  you  ignorant 
of  the  value  I  set  upon  your  friendship  ?  Let  me  entreat 
you  to  send  a  Letter  to  Rome  as  soon  as  you  receive  this 
wretched  scrawl  which  I  have  hardly  spirits  to  put  together ; 
— for,  to  confess  the  truth,  I  am  still  very  languid,  tho' 
perfectly  freed  from  Illusions. — I  bring  you  an  ample 
treasure  of  musick  and  many  a  strange  Arabian  tale  which 
I  sooth  myself  with  the  idea  of  reading  to  you  under  my 
favorite  Cliffs  of  Posilippo— what  is  become  of  poor 
innocent  Milk  *  whose  quiet  life  I  mean  to  imitate  ?  and 
where  is  the  formidable  Hurlo-Thrumbo,  alias  Rosamouski, 
whom  I  am  far  from  proposing  as  an  example?  Say 
everything  kind  for  me  to  Sir  Wm.  Once  more  let  me 
implore  you  to  write  to  Rome  and  again  let  me  assure 
you  how  sincerely  I  remain. 

Your  most  affectionate  and  obliged 

w.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Verona,  June  lOtk,  1782. 

I  am  just  escaped  from  the  Mountains  and  begin  to 
dissolve  in  the  warm  sun  of  Verona.  Notwithstanding 
the  heat  I  could  not  help  hastening  to  the  Arena  and 
viewing  the  Towers,  rocks,  and  Cypress,  which  rise  in 
every  quarter. 

To-morrow  I  hope  to  reach  Padua  and  faithfully  intend 
worshipping  none  but  St.  Anthony.  The  pagan  Idol  is 
immured  at  Brescia,  so  don't  be  alarmed.  I  am  thinner 
and  lighter  than  ever,  and  perhaps  the  winds  may  whisk 
me  away  as  I  coast  the  Adriatic  towards  Rimini.  If 
they  do  not,  I  shall  fall  down  the  29th  before  the  Shrine 
of  St.  Peter.  There  is  not  a  Saint  in  the  Calendar  that  I 
do  not  supplicate  in  expectation  of  hearing  from  you.  Be 
propitious,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  and  let  me  find  a 
Letter  at  Rome.  If  you  give  leave — I  shall  run  to  you 
immediately  upon  my  arrival,  whether  at  Naples  or 
Portici ;  if  at  the  last  mentioned  place  your  kindness  will 
suffer  me  perhaps  to  pitch  my  Bed  in  one  of  your  apart- 
*  A  favourite  spaniel^ 


PADUA 


153 


ments.  No  words  can  express  how  anxiously  I  long  to 
see  you  and  to  repeat  again  and  again  what  an  impression 
your  goodness  has  made  upon  me.  Burton,  in  violent 
spirits  at  the  thoughts  of  Posilippo,  is,  if  possible,  more 
eccentric  and  original  than  ever.  Pray  give  my  love  to 
Sir  Wm. — pray  write  to  me  at  Rome — and  pray  believe 
me. 

Sincerely  and  afFy. 

Yours 

w.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Padua,  Thursday,  June  IStk,  1782. 

It  is  from  the  Land  of  Senegal,  I  believe,  that  I  send 
my  Letter.  The  Sun  is  fiercer  than  you  can  conceive 
and  the  Sky  without  a  Cloud.  All  Padua  are  celebrating 
the  festival  of  their  blessed  St.  Anthony,  whose  vast  Church 
indeed  is  the  only  place  that  can  cool  a  parched-up  traveller. 
I  have  been  sitting  in  a  solemn  Aisle  the  whole  morning, 
listening  to  the  Choir  and  viewing  the  distant  crowd  pros- 
trate before  the  high  Altar  round  which  a  multitude  of 
tapers  [is]  kept  continually  moving.  Not  seeing  the  Priest 
who  bore  them,  they  seemed  like  floating  exhalations. 
Affected  by  the  plaintive  tones  of  the  Voices  and  Instru- 
ments I  grew  very  devout  and  melancholy,  sometimes 
lifting  up  my  Eyes  to  the  Shrine  ;  but  oftener  fixing  them 
on  the  pavement.  St.  Anthony  reposes  under  a  beautiful 
Arcade  of  the  richest  marble  crowded  with  sculptures 
that  would  not  have  disgraced  an  Athenian  temple  and 
gleaming  with  polished  friezes  and  bas  reliefs  of  gold. 

From  the  Arches  of  this  holy  place,  depend  several 
hundred  silver  lamps  whose  flames  are  never  suflered  to 
decay.  The  confusion  of  Lights,  of  votive  tablets,  of 
steps,  of  Candelabra  and  pillars  form  altogether  an 
Appearance  not  unlike  those  wildly  magnificent  fabrics  I 
sometimes  visit  in  my  Dreams. 

June  18tk. 

I  have  just  received  a  pacquet  from  England,  but  no 
Letters  from  you.  Has  the  Hill  fallen  upon  your  Head 
or  has  Hamilton  scratched  your  Eyes  out  ?  I  long  to  be 
told  how  we  go  on.  ...  I  am  far  advanced  in  a  strange 
Letter  for  the  conclusion  ;  nay,  it  would  have  been  finished 


154 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


had  not  the  remainder  of  my  Arabian  MS.  arrived  from 
old  Lamir. 

To-morrow  I  proceed  to  Rome,  in  defiance  of  the  Sun 
and  the  Sirocco  ;  in  a  fortnight  I  hope  to  expatiate  on  the 
cool  shores  of  PartJienope  and  be  sirenized  every  evening. 
Let  me  hear  from  you  very  often  and  don't  forget 

Your  siny.  afF. 

w.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Padua,  June  IS,  1782. 

Very  probably  half  my  Letters  will  miscarry ;  if  they 
all  arrive  you  will  certainly  be  tired  of  hearing  from  me 
and  think  if  I  am  such  a  plague  at  a  distance  what  must 
I  become  when  near.    The  Heat  makes  me  very  languid 
and  1  pass  hour  after  hour  on  the  cool  marble  steps  of 
St.  Anthony's  Shrine.    The  musick  of  the  Choir  throws 
me  into  delightful  reveries  and  with  eyes  half  closed  I  see 
white  figures  moving  about  with  censers,  and  lamps  that 
twinkle  in  the  dark  recesses  of  the  Aisles.    What  will 
become  of  me  in  my  journey  to  Rome  ? — I  shall  certainly 
be  almost  extinguished ;  but  you  seem  to  beckon  me  at 
the  end  of  the  perspective;  and,  if  I  can  but  persuade 
myself  this  is  no  illusion,  I  shall  surmount  every  obstacle 
with  cheerfulness.    I  will  not  doubt  I  shall  hear  from  you 
upon  my  arrival  at  Rome  and  even  perhaps  receive  per- 
mission to  encamp  at  Portici.    We  have  here  a  tolerable 
Opera  composed  by  Sarti — Crescentini  the  first  Singer,  a 
slender  Creature  of  eighteen,  seems  to  posses  a  great  deal 
of  feeling ;  but  the  accents  of  Pacchierotti  still  vibrate  in 
my  ears  and  prevent  their  attending  much  to  any  others. 
I  passed  Yesterday  Eve  very  agreeably  amongst  the 
arbours  and  Labyrinths  of  Quirini;  whom  you  saw  not 
long  ago  at  Naples,  and  who  sings  continually  to  the 
praise  and  glory  of  Sir  Wm.    I  am  expiring  with  sun- 
shine and  would  give  ten  Arabian  tales  to  stretch  myself 
on  the  damp  floor  of  some  watery  grotto.    To-morrow  I 
shall  dip  in  the  Adriatic ;  for  this  Eve.  we  are  going  to 
Venice  that  Cozens  may  sketch  some  of  my  favorite  Isles 
with  their  morisco  Towers  and  waving  Cypress.  Adieu. 
If  you  are  as  happy  in  the  thoughts  of  seeing  me  as  I  am 


PADUA 


155 


in  the  hopes  of  approaching  you,  few  Animals  will  esteem 
themselves  more  fortunate  than 

your  affect. 

W.  B. 

The  27th  I  hope  to  reach  Rome,  the  2nd  or  3rd  of 
July  Naples.  Pray  let  me  know  where  you  shall  be  that 
the  moment  I  arrive  may  carry  me  to  you.  They  say 
Gagliani  is  uncovering  at  Pompeii.  O  'tis  a  little  round- 
about gluttonizing,  swinish  Animal ! . . .  that  were  I  an  Ogre 
should  be  cut  up  into  griskins,  tho'  not  for  my  own  table. 
I  had  rather  be  poor  Milk  with  Macaroni  and  ignorance 
than  Gagliani  with  Science  and  Sausages.  Pray  give  my 
kind  love  to  Sir  Wm. 

Wednesday,  June  I9th,  1782. 

Padua. 

The  Morn  was  delightful  and  St.  Anthony's  bells  in 
full  chime.  A  Shadow  which  had  fallen  in  the  Night 
rendered  the  Air  so  fresh  and  fragrant  that  Mad.  de  R. 
and  myself  determined  to  sieze  the  opportunity  and  go  to 
Miribello,  a  Country  House  which  Alzarotti  had  inhabited, 
situated  amongst  the  Euganean  Hills  eight  or  nine  Miles 
from  Padua.  Our  road  lay  between  poplar  alleys  and 
fields  of  yellow  corn — o'er  hung  by  garlands  of  vine  most 
beautifully  green.  I  soon  found  myself  in  the  midst  of 
my  favourite  Hills,  upon  slopes  covered  with  clover  and 
shaded  by  Cherry  Trees — Bending  down  their  boughs — I 
gathered  the  fruit  and  grew  cooler  and  cooler,  and  happier 
and  happier  every  instant.  We  dined  very  comfortably 
in  a  strange  Hall  where  I  pitched  my  pianoforte  and  sung 
the  voluptuous  airs  of  Bertoni's  Armida.  That  Enchan- 
tress might  have  raised  her  Palace  in  this  situation  ;  and, 
had  I  been  Prinaldo,  I  certainly  should  not  very  soon 
have  abandoned  it.  After  Dinner  we  drank  Coffee  under 
some  branching  Lemons  which  spring  from  a  Terrace 
commanding  a  boundless  Scene  of  Towers  and  Villas — 
tall  Cypress  and  shrubby  hillocs  rising  like  Islands  out  of 
a  Sea  of  Corn  and  Vine.  Evening  drawing  on  and  the 
breeze  blowing  cool  from  the  distant  Adriatic,  I  reclin'd 
on  a  slope  and  turned  my  eyes  anxiously  towards  Venice, 
then  on  some  little  field  where  they  were  making  Hay 
hemmed  in  by  Chesnuts  in  blossom,  and  then  to  a  Moun- 
tain crowned  by  a  circular  grove  of  Fir  and  Cypress.  In 


156 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


the  centre  of  those  shades  some  Monks  have  a  comfort- 
able nest,  a  perennial  Spring,  a  garden  of  delicious  vege- 
tables .  .  .  and  a  thousand  luxuries  besides,  I  dare  say, 
which  the  poor  Mortals  below  never  dream  of.  If  it  had 
not  been  late  I  should  certainly  have  climbed  up  to  the 
grove  and  asked  admittance  into  its  recesses  ;  but  having 
no  mind  to  pass  the  Night  in  the  Eyrie  I  contented  myself 
with  beholding  it  at  a  distance. 

June  9.0th. 

As  soon  as  I  had  breakfasted  I  hastened  into  the  cool 
Sanctuary  of  St.  Anthony  and  knelt  according  to  custom 
before  his  Shrine. 

William  Beckford  to  Archibald  Hamilton 

Rome,  June  29tk,  1 782. 

My  Dear  Archy, 

If  you  love  sleep  as  dearly  as  Hamilton  says  you 
do,  keep  away  from  Rome  ;  for  here  is  such  a  whizzing  of 
Rockets,  such  a  thundering  of  Cannon,  and  such  a  prating 
of  prelates  and  Cardinals,  that  I  am  half  distracted.  At 
this  very  moment  two  or  three  Monsignori  Abbes,  as 
round  and  as  gossipping  as  our  good  Friend  Lady  M.  H., 
are  pouring  fine  long  Compliments  down  my  ears,  so  that 
I  hardly  know  what  I  am  about  and  write  all  a  one  side 
and  up  and  down  like  Hampstead  and  Highgate  and  blot 
my  paper  and  black  my  thumbs.  My  dear  little  Archy, 
if  you  know  a  Witch,  borrow  her  Besom,  mount  it  and  be 
at  the  Firework  this  Evening ;  but  be  sure  get  back  again 
into  your  nest — it  is  much  more  comfortable  than  Rome 
with  all  its  Fountains  and  Amphitheatres.  Your  Letter  I 
have  just  received,  and  it  is  just  like  yourself,  short  and 
entertaining.  I  hope  you  will  grow  taller  and  your  Letters 
in  proportion;  but  if  you  was  no  higher  than  Thomas 
Thumb  I  should  love  and  esteem  you.  Goodnight,  you 
will  certainly  sleep  better  than, 

Your  Sin.  Friend  and  affect. 

W.  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  Lord  Paget 

Rome,  June  99th,  1782. 

I  used  to  advise  you  to  come  to  this  fair  Region — for 
God's  sake  stay  in  England — there  is  more  "  vernal  delight 


ROME 


157 


and  joy"  in  one  of  our  green  Lawns  than  in  all  the  olive- 
grounds  and  vine-yards  of  Italy. 

William  Beckford  to  Mr.  Hamilton 

Rome,  June  9.9th,  1782. 

I  am  in  the  midst  of  St.  Peter's  Festival,  Cannon 
bouncing,  trumpets  flourishing,  Pope  gabbling.  Cardinals 
stinking,  and  Fish  frying  in  every  corner.  You  would 
admire  the  Fireworks  or  I  am  much  mistaken.  Last 
Night  five  thousand  rockets  flew  up  from  the  Summit  of 
Castle  St.  Angelo  like  a  Flame  of  Fire  and  filled  the  air 
with  millions  of  stars.  The  effect  was  beautiful  and 
according  to  Custom,  I  wished  for  you  to  enjoy  it. 

This  morn :  I  have  been  walking  in  the  Galleries  of 
Raphael,  which  command  a  full  prospect  of  St.  Peter's 
eoUonade,  the  Fountains,  and  the  woods  of  the  Barbarini 
Garden  beyond.  I  hope  you  attend  to  the  delights  of 
Harrow — the  deeper  you  drink  of  them  at  present  the 
sooner  you  will  see  the  glories  of  Rome  and  the  more  we 
shall  be  together.  Adieu,  my  dear  Hamilton,  you  will 
have  longer  Letters  when  I  am  settled  for  the  Summer 
at  Naples.  Write  as  often  as  you  can— the  oftener — the 
happier  you  will  make 

Your  sincerely  afft.  cousin, 

WM.  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Rome,  9.9th  June,  1782. 

You  think  I  write  from  the  Moon :  Would  to  God  I 
was  there,  ensphered  in  soft  azure  light,  reclining  on 
clouds,  and  uncorking  my  wits.  Are  you  still  in  the 
Palace  of  Atlantes  ;  your  poor  friend  is  in  Pandemonium — 
stunned  with  noise  and  poisoned  with  sulphur.  The  Heat 
of  Rome  and  the  culinary  perfumes  in  honour  of  St.  Peter 
are  such  that  I  am  ready  to  faint  away  and  can  hardly 
gather  strength  to  tell  you  that  I  thank  God  you  are 
recovering,  that  I  am  happy  Elmsley  has  bought  the 
Books  for  me — that  I  hope — Don  Quixotte  will  soon 
arrive,  that  I  beg  you  will  see  Cipriani  paid,  that  you  will 
have  patience  a  fortnight  longer  when  I  shall  have  finished 
the  conclusive  Epistle  [?  Episode  (to  "  Vathek  ")],  that  I 
reckon  much  upon  Croft's  Collection,  and  that  I  am  yours 
from  the  depth  of  my  Spirit. 


158 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Rome,  June  30th,  1782. 

Take  care  of  yourself,  Louisa,  and  remember  your 
sickness  is  only  an  exterior  veil  policy  obliged  you  to  put 
on — were  it  in  earnest  to  fasten  on  your  lovely  limbs  there 
would  be  an  end  of  my  happiness.  I  could  not  live  and 
see  your  lips  pale,  your  eyes  sunk,  and  the  bloom  of  your 
cheeks  annihilated.  Keep  up  your  Spirits,  my  Love. 
Heaven  knows  you  have  restored  mine  by  the  dear  lines 
you  sent  from  .  Till  they  arrived  a  corroding  melan- 
choly preyed  upon  my  vitals  and  darkened  the  bright  sky 
of  Italy.  My  steps  were  never  bent  to  Casinos  or  Theatres  ; 
no,  they  were  guided  to  desert  Hills  that  lift  themselves 
up  above  vast  wastes  with  here  and  there  a  shepherd's  hut 
or  neglected  Sepulchre.  In  such  scenes  I  have  mused 
away  whole  hours  by  the  evening  light,  and  the  moss  has 
often  drank  my  tears.  I  never  saw  any  human  being  in 
those  wildernesses  except  one  day  a  poor  boy  whose 
master  had  beaten  him  cruelly  and  who  sat  down  amongst 
the  broom  to  cry  and  call  upon  his  Mother  ;  but  she  it 
seems  was  at  work,  far  off  in  some  distant  country  that  he 
pointed  to  beyond  the  hills.  Wm.,  thought  I  to  myself, 
is  beyond  those  hills  and  so  is  Louisa.  I  must  not  approach 
the  one,  I  cannot  the  other.  My  heart  seemed  ready  to 
swell  out  of  my  bosom.  I  rose  up  from  the  moss  on 
which  I  had  cast  myself  down,  and  followed  another 
path  that  wound  between  bushes  of  broom  in  full 
blossom.  The  wind  strewed  the  ground  with  their 
sweet-scented  yellow  flowers.  I  wished  it  had  lain 
me  low.  Returned  to  Rome,  your  Letter  of  the  fourth 
June  was  the  first  object  my  eyes  fixed  upon.  How  did 
my  heart  throb  when  I  opened  it !  How  did  it  leap 
with  exultation  when  I  read  the  assurance  of  my  .  .  . 
affection  !  And  does  she  really  love  me  ?  Are  the  delight- 
ful days  of  F[onthill]  not  yet  elapsed  from  her  memory  ? 
Does  she  still  dwell  with  pleasure  on  the  recollection  of 
what  passed  in  our  subterraneous  Apartment,  where  we 
used  to  recline,  like  voluptuous  Orientals  on  silken  beds 
in  the  glow  of  transparent  curtains.  Don't  you  remember, 
Louisa,  the  soft  perfume  of  roses  that  seemed  to  float  in 
the  air  and  the  affecting  sound  of  the  musick  in  the  hall  ? 
— But,  above  all,  does  she  yet  love  to  talk  of  the  hour. 


NAPLES 


159 


when  seizing  her  delicate  hand,  I  led  her  bounding  like  a 
Kid  to  my  Chamber.  .  .  .  Did  she  never  mention  the 
strange  tales  I  invented  for  her  amusement  ?  Is  she 
sensible  that  I  would  sacrifice  my  Soul  to  procure  her  a 
moment's  enjoyment?  Tell  her  she  may  search  the 
Universe  in  vain  for  a  Being  so  attached  to  her  as  your 
William.  Encourage  her  little  elegant  fancies,  feed  her 
like  a  phoenix  with  perfumes.  Bathe  her  neck  with 
jessamine  and  make  her  observe  and  glory  in  observing  its 
whiteness  and  the  blue  veins  that  steal  across  it.  Kiss 
that  swelling  bud  I  am  so  fond  of,  and  ask  her  if  I  may  do 
the  same  when  I  return.  .  .  .  What  do  you  think,  Louisa  ? 
will  she  be  faithfuU,  will  I  ever  again  be  happy  ?  Can  her 
cursed  relations  separate  us  for  ever  ?  Is  she  not  mine  ? 
Did  she  not  swear  she  belonged  to  me  ?  I  faint,  Louisa — 
support  me.  Tell  her  what  I  endure  for  her  sake.  Tell 
her  my  eyes  are  closed  and  opened  upon  her  image — ^that 
she  haunts  my  dreams,  and  that  I  still  fancy  I  hear  her 
calling  to  me  as  she  was  wont  at  day  break.  O  Louisa, 
you  said  all  my  fondness,  all  my  folly,  would  return. 
Had  I  not  received  those  few  lines  she  wrote  to  me  I 
could  not  much  longer  have  borne  my  existence.  The 
Country  round  Rome  is  dismally  parched,  the  winds 
suffocating,  the  exhalations  deadly.  Be  assured  there  is 
more  enjoyment  in  the  beechen  groves  of  Fonthill  than  in 
all  the  stiff  pines  and  tiresome  vineyards  of  Italy.  Louisa, 
what  happiness  should  be  our  portion  in  those  tranquil 
scenes  could  some  fat  Succubus  waddle  away  with  Peter. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Naples,  July  Qth,  1782. 

I  wait  for  your  Letters  with  trembling  expectation. 
The  last  from  .  .  .  thrilled  every  nerve  in  my  frame. 
My  state  is  if  possible  more  abject  than  ever.  The  Sea 
breezes  blow  in  vain,  in  vain  the  beautiful  prospects  of  the 
Bay  present  themselves.  The  transparent  Sky  is  spread 
over  my  head  to  no  purpose.  I  should  droop  in  the  Garden 
of  Eden  were  you  my  lovely  Angel  banished  from  my 
sight. 

Your  Pictures  are  continually  before  me,  no  words 
can  describe  the  fond  delight  with  which  I  hang  over 
them.    You,  if  any  Mortal  is  able,  may  explain  to   


160 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


the  sensations  which  make  my  heart  ready  to  swell  out  of 
my  bosom.  I  shall  believe  you  another  time,  Louisa.  You 
told  me  I  should  relapse  again  into  all  my  weakness. 
Forgive  my  presumption.  I  will  never  pretend  to  lift  up 
my  head.    O  that  I  could  feel  my  neck  pressed  by  the 

little  ivory  feet  of  .    Tell  her  all  my  follies  upon  her 

account  and  let  me  know  if  she  is  glad  I  am  her  Slave. 
Have  you  seen  her  since  the  9th  June  ?  Has  she  talked 
to  you  any  more  of  her  Wm.  I  must  cease  writing  for 
the  present.  My  head  swims — the  Room  whirls  round, 
the  Sea  I  am  looking  upon,  seems  in  my  fascinated  eyes 
to  assume  a  thousand  fantastic  colours.  Strange  Islands 
appear  rising  from  the  Woods.   Pity  me  Louisa. — Sustain 

me  for  God's  sake. — Send  to  — ,  write  to  her,  remind 

her  of  him  who  to  lay  one  more  night  on  her  soft  bosom 
would  cast  himself  on  thorns  of  Tron. 

To  the  Same 

Naples,  July  9.0th,  1782. 

What  is  become  of  you,  Louisa  ?  Since  the  fourth  of 
June  you  have  not  sent  me  a  line.  I  am  quite  alarmed 
at  this  unusual  silence,  and  begin  to  think  you  are  still 
preyed  upon  by  illness.  A  fever  occasioned  by  the  fatal 
vapours  of  this  unwholesome  Country  has  reduced  me 
very  low.  Like  a  sick  child  I  cry  after  you  and  Wm. 
Halz  is  become  quite  loathsome  in  my  sight.  I  would 
gladly  give  up  all  its  pines  and  ruins  for  one  dose  of  the 
fresh  Downs  round  Fonthill.  My  Love  I  am  too  weak 
to  write  more.  Adieu. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

PosiLiPPO,  July  20tk,  1782. 

I  have  written  to  you  several  times;  but  not  once 
since  I  left  that  lovely  green  Country  of  England  have  I 
heard  from  you.  The  pestilential  air  of  Italy  has  given 
me  a  fever,  from  which  I  am  not  yet  entirely  delivered. 
Your  son  has  suffered ;  but  is  now  well.  How  can  you 
remain  so  long  without  telling  me  how  you  are  ?  Do  you 
fancy  I  am  no  longer  anxious  about  you — do  you  imagine 
I  have  forgotten  who  accompanied  me  in  the  happiest 
journey  I  ever  made  ?    O  those  delightful  days  of  Font- 


PORTICI 


161 


hill !  when  will  they  return  ?  Do  you  remember  the 
plains  we  traversed  and  the  golden  clouds  that  hung  over 
the  Thames  at  Staines  in  defiance  of  Winter  ?  Do  you 
recollect  my  little  Wm's  transports  ?  Alas,  I  remember 
all,  all  too  well  for  my  present  happiness. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

PoRTici,  Aug,  9.1th,  1782. 

Why,  as  upon  Gideon's  fleece,  are  Readers  of  Heaven 
to  descend  on  me  alone  ?  Why  cannot  I  communicate  to 
you  the  comfortable  Calm  I  enjoy  ?  I  lead  a  peaceful 
retired  life  at  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton's  Casino  at  Portici  and 
get  up  at  Sunrise  to  breathe  the  fresh  morning  Air  in  a 
shrubbery  of  myrtles.  In  the  midst  of  the  thickets  a 
little  straw  hut  is  erected,  and  further  on  you  meet  with 
some  pines.  Vineyards  lie  extended  all  around  quite  to 
the  Sea  Shore,  which  is  covered  with  Villas  and  their 
Gardens  of  Cypress.  Vesuvius  crowns  the  scene  with 
its  crags  and  conical  summit  continually  breathing  forth 
a  thin  vapour.  But  I  shall  quit  this  lovely  scene  the 
twentieth  of  next  Month,  and  hope  to  reach  England,  our 
temperate  England  in  November.  At  Christmas  may  not 
I  hope  to  possess  you  at  Fonthill  and  tell  you  again  and 
again  that  you  have  never  been  absent  from  my  thoughts  ? 

Convey  the  enclosed  to  .  She  has  written  me  a  Letter 

that  leaves  me  not  the  smallest  doubt  of  her  affection. 
The  flame  spreads,  I  perceive — you  told  me  it  would. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 

Portici,  August  21  th,  1782. 

Your  letter  found  me  peacefully  seated  in  a  Straw 
Hut  surrounded  by  myrtles,  a  pine  rising  just  before  the 
door,  the  Sun  setting  in  a  Sea  of  gold  and  Vesuvius 
flushed  with  purple.  It  is  not  to  be  told  with  what 
pleasure  I  saw  your  handwriting,  for  your  long  silence 
made  me  tremble  lest  you  should  be  ill.  Thank  God,  I 
may  now  venture  to  tell  you  I  am  perfectly  recovered. 
The  pure  air  of  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton's  Casino,  which  I  have 
inhabited  these  three  weeks,  has  restored  my  Spirits  and 
given  them  the  most  delightful  flow.  Arabian  Tales 
spring  up  like  Mushrooms  on  the  fresh  green  Downs  of 

L 


/ 


162  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Fonthill!  Don't  forget  Fonthill.  How  happy  shall  I 
feel  if  you  spend  your  Christmas  with  me.  Adieu,  my 
dear  Sir.  I  write  in  haste,  poor  Lady  Hamilton  being 
much  indisposed. 

William  Beckford  to  Sir  William  Hamilton 

Geneva,  October  \9.th,  1782. 

Here  am  I  snug  in  the  apartment  of  my  Friend 
Huber  and  as  happy  as  I  can  be  without  you  ;  for  to  say 
the  Truth  I  miss  you  more  and  more  every  hour. — An 
Extract  of  Bark,  mixed  up  with  some  rare  stinkabuss  as 
Strong  as  old  Nicholas's  Scratch  and  bitter  as  your  humble 
servant  when  in  a  passion,  has  driven  the  ague  away,  and 
it  has  never  returned  since  I  left  Turin,  six  days  ago ;  so 
I  find  myself  in  spirits  to  enjoy  the  wild  Prospects  of  Mt. 
Cenis  and  the  deUghtful  verdure  of  the  Savoyard  Valleys. 
What  would  you,  sunburnt  Daemons  of  the  Campi 
Phlossei  give  for  our  dewy  vegetables  and  tufted  ches- 
nuts  at  this  moment  laden  with  clusters  of  Fruit  ?  Pray 
gratify  my  Love  of  Coral  and  Nautilus,  and  when  any 
secure  opportunity  offers  send  me  a  Box  of  Intaglio  Pills. 
Talking  of  Boxes,  will  you  be  graciously  pleased  to  order 
me  one  of  the  finest  Tartaruca  bevased  and  bescrolled  in  the 
style  you  approve  most  of  and  of  a  good  comfortable  size 
— don't  imagine  it  is  for  snuff,  no,  no,  for  Devilkins. 
Remember  the  pacquet  of  Letters  ;  as  it  is  of  the  utmost 
consequence  they  should  be  in  my  possession. 

What  think  you  of  the  floating  Batteries  ?  How  looks 
your  Gooseman  ?  Our  Gooseman  must  be  very  trium- 
phant. I  hope  the  Gooseman  of  Spain  won't  now  turn 
his  thoughts  towards  my  territories.  Peace,  I  believe,  is 
gone  upon  a  visit  to  Truth  in  her  Well.  Heaven  only 
knows  whose  Luck  it  will  be  to  fish  them  up  again. 

I  long  for  Summer  impatiently,  not  because  it  is  green 
bough  time  and  that  I  may  run  wild  about  my  shrubberies, 
but  because  it  will  bring  you  to  England.  In  the  course 
of  my  Peregrinations  I  picked  up  a  rare  old  Japan  Por- 
ringer which  came  out  of  the  Medici  Lumber  Room  ;  but 
hunted  about  for  some  Bronze  Deities  in  vain.  Alas !  I 
must  return  to  England  without  my  Penates ;  'tis  your 
fault;  but  I  know  what  you  expect  in  Paradise,  where 
you  will  certainly  go,  being  a  pure  soul,  to  speak  in  the 


GENEVA 


16a 


side  hole  diverish  *  style.  As  you  sweep  along  the  milky- 
way  to  the  melodious  jingling  of  St.  Peter's  keys  and 
behold  a  grand  perspective  of  the  British  Museum,  all 
Glory  and  Transparence  like  the  last  scene  of  a  Pantomime, 
Doors  wide  open — Pulvinaria  set  in  the  Entry  Vases 
behind  and  whole  world  of  bonetty  Gentlewomen  and 
their  spouses  sauntering  about  and  observing  what  a 

wonderful  lamed  Gemman  was  Sir  Wm.  H   who 

knew  what  was  underground  just  as  well  as  you.  Mr. 
Alderman  Portsocken  knows  Turtle,  tho'  it  lie  snug 
under  a  silver  kiver.  I,  humble  Being  who  mean  to  lead 
a  harmless  innocent  Life  and  hope  to  be  transported  to  any 

place  of  Bliss  (save  Ab  m's  Bosom),  I  shall  sneak  off 

to  a  little  Pavillion  full  of  Antiques  on  the  verge  of  a  hill. 
There,  under  shelter  of  a  copse,  let  a  stream  be  just  per- 
ceived and  on  its  Banks  huge  piles  of  Books  and  Mac- 
caroni.  That  divine  food  has  been  absolutely  forbidden 
to  enter  my  lean  Chops  since  I  landed  at  Leghorn. 
Alack  a  day  !  I  have  fared  like  a  Hermit  of  Mount 
Libanus  or  like  poor  Father  Anthony  Pigmei,  very  often  : 
I  dare  engage  My  Affectionate  Compliments  to  him.  As 
for  Angelica,  She  is  my  Idol ;  so  say  everything  that  can 
be  said  in  my  name  and  tell  her  how  I  long  to  see  Tele- 
machus's  Papa  and  all  the  noble  Family. 

I  should  scribble  to  you  for  ever  if  old  Huber  was  not 
telling  Stories,  the  best  imaginable,  and  young  Huber 
making  Sketches  of  Vathec's  Adventures,  the  boldest  you 
ever  beheld.  Adieu  !  then — thank  your  friends  the  Genii 
of  the  Arts,  for  your  Deliverance,  and,  to  conclude  with 
Grandeur,  those  Genii  excepted  who  shadow  you  with 
their  wings,  assure  yourself  there  is  no  Being  so  much 
attached  to  you  as  your  affectionate  and  obliged 

W.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  Alexander  Cozens 

Geneva,  Tuesday,  18tk  Oct.,  1782. 

1  write  to  you  once  more  from  the  Land  of  freshness 
and  verdure,  of  Chesnut  woods  and  hanging  copses  to 

♦  Alluding  to  a  Moravian  hymn  upon  the  subject  of  our  Lord's 
wounds  in  which  is  the  following  delectable  passage  ; 

A  Side  Hole  Diver  I  will  be  : 

O  Side  Hole,  let  me  live  in  thee  ! 


/ 


164  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

which  Sylvanus  retired  when  driven  by  popes  and  pre- 
lates from  Italy.  Your  delightful  Letter  of  the  17th  of 
Septr.  found  me  surrounded  by  my  friends  the  Hubers 
reposing  after  my  jumble  down  Mt.  Cenis.  The  Mount 
Blanc  veils  himself  in  a  Tabernacle  of  Clouds  ;  but  to-day 
is  so  bright  that  I  think  he  will  cast  a  look  upon  Mortals. 
To-morrow  I  set  forwards  again,  and  ere  long  we  shall 
meet.  How  happy  shall  I  feel  I  You  must  enjoy  India 
with  me  at  Fonthill  this  Christmas.  No  turbulent 
passions  ruffle  my  tranquillity.  I  am  calm  as  a  Lake 
sheltered  by  Hills  at  Sunset  when  the  Winds  are  still. 
Expect  to  find  me  pale  and  thin  ;  but  my  heart  is  warm 
and  my  spirits  lively  and  I  am  ever 

Your  own  afF. 

w.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  Mes.  Peter  Beckford 

Paris,  Monday,  Oct.  28tk,  1782. 

Now  I  approach,  the  Mountains,  the  Lakes,  the 
plains,  recede,  the  Sea  Coast  begins  to  appear,  and,  afar 
off,  I  seem  already  to  discover  the  white  cliffs  of  our 
Island. 

My  dear  Louisa,  with  what  joy  shall  I  see  you  again — 
with  what  Transport  shall  I  plunge  into  my  Indian 
Dreams  !  .  .  .  At  Fonthill  we  shall  be  peaceful  and  happy, 
unless  I  am  cruelly  mistaken.  .  .  .  My  Cousins  are  to 
be  with  me.  Tho'  pale  and  weak,  my  bosom  is  per- 
fectly tranquil.  I  feel  delightfully  calm.  My  sensations 
I  should  imagine  like  those  of  a  person  who  after  strug- 
gling with  the  waves  stretches  out  his  limbs  on  a  bank  of 
green  sward  and  lulled  by  the  murmur  of  leaves  sinks  into 
repose.  Take  great  care  of  the  inclosed  and  if  you  love  me 
convey  it  safe.  ... 

To  the  same 

Paris,  Oct.  mk,  1783. 

My  dear  Louisa,  I  am  hastening  home  as  fast  as 
possible,  and,  in  spite  of  every  daemon,  we  will  enjoy 
a  few  delightful  days  next  Christmas  in  our  glowing, 

sunny  apartments.    is  constancy  itself.    I  long  to 

shew  you  her  Letters.  She  has  caught  fire,  and  burns  with 


FONTHILL 


165 


such  rapidity  that  I  tremble  lest  she  should  be  discovered 
and  the  most  violent  means  employed  to  extinguish  the 
conflagration. — Thank  God,  I  am  calm  and  happy,  tho* 
pale  as  a  Spectre  and  languid  as  a  flower  severed  from 
its  stalk.  I  shall  revive  upon  seeing  you  and  put  forth 
new  blossoms.  The  H[amiltons]  are  to  come  to  us  at 
Christmas. 

After  passing  six  tedious  days  at  Calais  and  hearing 
contrary  winds  howl  dismally,  the  sky  cleared  and  we 
came  over.  ...  I  landed  by  moonlight  under  the  Cliffs, 
and  walked  to  and  fro  a  few  minutes  in  spite  of  the  Cold. 
.  .  .  Let  me  see  you  Monday  Eve.  my  dear  Friend — 
adieu  for  a  few  hours — you  are  the  only  Being  to  whom  I 
write.  .  .  . 

Dover,  Saturday  Eve,  Novr,  9th,  1782. 

William  Beckford  to  Mr.  Hamilton 

FoNTHiLL,  January  Mh,  1783. 

I  thank  you,  my  dear  [Hamilton,  for  your  amusing 
Letter  and  heartily  wish  you  all  the  joys  that  Gunning 
can  give.  May  you  splash  and  dash  from  morn  to  eve 
and  be  overhead  in  ears  in  Mud  and  enjoyment.  We  are 
very  clean  and  quiet  at  Fonthill,  ride  out  every  Morn, 
and  translate  Arabic  every  Night.  The  Sun  has  smiled 
upon  us  almost  without  interruption  and  I  have  no  cause 
to  complain  of  our  English  Climate.  This  morning,  the 
water  looked  delightfully  blue  and  the  wild  fowl  in  high 
spirits,  'tis  well  for  them  that  my  wishes  of  having  you 
with  me  were  not  realized.  You  certainly  would  have 
dipped  many  beautiful  feathers  in  blood. 

Mr.  Henley  and  I  have  toiled  like  Dromedaries  in  the 
Library,  which  1  can  assure  you  is  not  a  little  improved. 
Don  Quixotte  blazes  forth  in  all  the  pomp  of  Morocco 
and  golden  daggers. 

Cozens  creeps  about  like  a  domestic  Animal — 'twould 
be  no  bad  scheme  to  cut  a  little  cat's  door  for  him  in  the 
great  Portals  of  the  Saloon.  The  Gallery  looks  very 
solitary  now  poor  Louisa  is  away.  You  cannot  imagine 
the  solemn  appearance  of  the  Hall  with  its  expiring  Lamps 
towards  midnight.  I  often  fancy  myself  in  the  Catacombs 
of  Egypt  and  expect  to  stumble  over  a  Mummy.  What 


•166 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


rare  Mummies  certain  people  of  our  Acquaintance  would 
make  !  I  long  to  stop  their  mouths  with  spice  and  swaddle 
them  up,  beyond  the  power  of  doing  mischief.  I  beg  you 
will  give  my  best  Compliments  to  Lord  Ar[chibald],  and 
assure  him  I  shall  ever  retain  the  most  grateful  sense  of 
the  kind  interest  he  is  pleased  to  take  in  me.  I  hope 
we  shall  soon  meet  in  town  and  that  you  will  ever 
believe  me, 

Sincerely  and  afFecty.  Yrs. 

W.  BECKFORD. 

The  affectionate  messages  sent  to  a  lady  by  Beckford 
through  his  cousin,  Louisa,  require  explanation.  When 
he  was  last  in  England  he  saw  in  the  Assembly  Rooms  in 
Bath  a  young  girl  whose  appearance  attracted  him.  He 
secured  an  introduction  and  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Lady  Margaret  Gordon,  sole  surviving  daughter  of  Charles, 
fourth  Earl  of  Aboyne.  He  fell  in  love  with  her,  wooed 
her,  and  eventually  won  her.  They  were  married  on 
May  5,  1783,  and  went  abroad  for  the  honeymoon. 

TuNBRiDGE,  Wednesday, 
&k  May,  17 8S. 

I  am  in  a  strange  Room  wainscotted  with  cedar  and 
lumbered  up  with  chairs  that  gleam  with  brass.  Yews 
and  Spruce  Firs  wave  before  the  Windows  and  between 
their  dark  boughs  a  few  miserable  sheep,  for  the  Sky, 
totally  forgetful  of  May,  sends  down  snow  and  hail  and  a 
sort  of  rain  which  partakes  of  both  and  is  worse  than 
either.  These  gloomy  circumstances  serve  only  to  set  off 
the  sweet  smiles  of  Lady  M[argaret]'s  countenance.  She 
looks  happy,  and  that  sight  gives  me  more  joy  than 
Sunshine  ever  imported.  I  wish  you  had  been  walking 
with  us  yesterday  evening  on  the  terrace  of  this  solitary 
mansion.  The  lights  we  saw  twinkling  amongst  distant 
Woods  and  in  shady  hollows  would  have  awakened  a 
series  of  romantic  conjectures. 

Secheron,  June  8tk,  1783. 

My  Friend,  I  have  been  fifty  times  on  the  point  of 
writing  to  you,  and  as  often  have  I  been  interrupted.  I 


EVIAN 


167 


lead  a  quiet  uniform  stupid  sort  of  life  on  the  banks  of  the 
Lake ;  but  never  angle  like  the  rest  of  my  neighbours. 
Not  a  soul  except  old  Huber  has  the  least  idea  why  I 
should  be  discontented  in  the  midst  of  smirking  faces  and 
spruce  habitations.  Every  now  and  then  the  recollections 
of  past  times  and  happy  moments  for  ever  gone,  rouses 
me  from  my  torpid  state  and  forces  me  to  run  wildly 
about  on  the  Shore.  Sometimes  I  lie  down  in  an  open 
meadow  and  observe  the  clouds  rolling  along  the  Sky  and 
casting  their  shadows  on  the  Mountains.  'Tis  then  innu- 
merable fancies  rush  upon  me.  Strange  hopes  and  as 
strange  fears !  During  these  moments  I  dream  of  Wm. 
and  of  Fonthill  whilst  the  confused  murmur  of  leaves  and 
water  lulls  me  to  sounder  rest.  Lady  M[argaret]  walks 
about  gathering  flowers  from  the  Shrubs  which  almost 
dip  their  boughs  in  the  Lake.  Why  am  I  not  happy  ? — 
Is  it  not  my  own  fault  that  I  am  miserable  ? 

Geneva,  July  28tkj  17 83, 

I  know  not  how  it  happens  that  I  have  not  received  any 
of  your  Letters,  for  I  make  no  doubt  that  you  have  written 
to  me.  Let  me  hear  as  soon  as  possible  or  1  shall  be  anxious 
and  uneasy.  I  am  just  returned  from  the  Region  of  Ice  and 
Crystal,  from  the  source  of  the  Arveyron  (?)  and  the  silent 
retired  valleys  at  the  base  of  the  Mont  Blanc.  The  image  of 
my  dearest  Wm.  pursued  me  even  into  these  days  of 
solitudes.  I  passed  three  Evenings  in  a  thick  forest  of 
Larch  whose  intermingled  branches  are  fringed  with  heavy 
moss,  totally  abandoned  to  my  reveries.  Would  to  God 
you  could  share  them  !  would  to  God  I  might  converse 
with  you  once  more  upon  the  subject  nearest  my  heart ! 
To-morrow  we  go  to  Evian,  that  romantic  Village 
amongst  forests  of  Chesnut  on  the  banks  of  the  Lake 
which  I  have  so  often  described  and  where  I  have  enjoyed 
many  a  peaceful  hour  ;  but  where  I  shall  now  wander  like 
a  melancholy  Ghost  too  full  of  the  remembrance  of  the 
World  it  has  left  to  taste  the  pleasures  of  that  into  which 
it  is  entering. 

Evian,  August  26tk,  1783. 

^1  My  Friend,  what  can  have  prevented  your  writing  to 
me?  Do  you  imagine  I  am  grown  insensible  to  your 
regard,  and  that  I  am  dead  to  our  World  of  Ideas  ?  You 
are  quite  mistaken.    I  am  what  I  have  ever  been.  The 


/ 


168  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Woods,  the  Mountains,  the  wild  flowery  hills,  have  not 
ceased  to  appear  delightful  in  my  eyes. — I  am  not  lost ; 
but  restored  to  myself. — The  consciousness  of  a  secure 
tranquil  happiness  has  recalled  these  sportive  fancies  which 
were  wont  to  form  our  dearest  amusements.  I  can  give 
myself  up  to  Dreams  of  India  and  antient  times  without 
fearing  to  wake  with  a  dreadful  start  to  misery  and  agita- 
tion. I  shall  return  happy  and  contented  with  a  Com- 
panion I  love  and  who  loves  everything  that  amuses  me. 
You,  of  all  others,  may  reckon  upon  her  affection,  for  she 
knows  how  long  and  how  sincerely  you  have  been  my 
Friend.  Farewell — convince  me  by  writing  immediately, 
that  you  likewise  are  what  you  have  been. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

CoLOGNY,  Oct.  9.0th,  ]  783. 

I  suppose  you  have  heard  of  those  strange  globes 
invented  at  Paris  which  rise  into  the  air  though  encumbered 
with  the  weight  of  human  animals.  I  wish  we  could  pro- 
cure one  and  travel  together  amongst  the  clouds.  At 
night  we  would  illuminate  our  flying  palace  and  hover  like 
angry  meteors  above  the  habitations  of  our  enemies  who, 
perhaps,  have  not  yet  been  made  acquainted  with  this  won- 
derful invention.  Like  a  certain  mischievous  bird  which 
Ovid  celebrates,  we  would  dart  down  upon  the  graceful 
innocents  and  carry  them  off  in  spite  of  the  screams  of 
their  relations.  Kitty,  I  am  certain,  would  stand  on  tip- 
toe to  be  borne  away,  and  some  of  her  little  wanton  sisters 
might  likewise  slip  into  our  machine  if  you  beckoned. 
Dont  you  remember  one  in  particular  with  teeth  like 
pearls,  dark  Indian  hair  and  Circassian  eyes  ?  Unless  my 
poor  memory  deceived  me  she  has  often  thrown  her  arms 
round  your  neck  with  all  the  delight  of  a  child  who  loves 
playing  with  ivory.  Think  of  Seraph's  rueful  eyes  cast 
upwards  upon  our  ascent,  and  the  piteous  wailings  of 
Aunt  E. !  Think  how  triumphantly  we  should  sail  through 
the  calm  blue  aether,  ten  thousand  feet  above  this  dirty 
planet !  Sometimes,  however,  we  might  descend  to  tread 
its  surface  at  our  lovely  favourite's  desire,  and  alight  upon 
the  summits  of  solitary  hills  enclosed  by  impenetrable 
forests.  There  we  would  gather  flowers  and  breathe  the 
fresh  woody  perfume  of  the  thick  foliage.    The  peasants 


GENEVA 


169 


and  savages,  cannibals  and  pigmies,  or  whatever  you 
please — for  who  knows  in  what  region  we  might  descend  ? — 
struck  by  our  supernatural  appearance  would  prostrate 
themselves  at  our  feet,  and  offer  our  Godships  the  best 
fruits,  the  richest  creams,  the  brownest  bread,  and  the  most 
delicious  venison.  I  fancy  I  see  you  stretching  out  your 
lovely  arm  with  an  air  of  protection  and  receiving  their 
offerings  with  the  air  of  a  Divinity  long  used  to  be  wor- 
shipped. You  may  imagine  I  too  should  put  on  one  of  my 
stately  airs,  and  little  K.  look  full  with  those  heavenly 
eyes  which  I  cannot  help  believing  impossible  to  behold 
with  indifference.  My  imagination  is  so  possessed  with 
this  delightful  illusion  that  I  seem  to  hear  the  rustle  of  the 
boundless  wood  mixing  with  the  roar  of  a  waterfall  and 
the  acclamations  of  the  savages.  Methinks  the  evening 
sun  almost  lost  in  a  golden  haze  reposes  at  the  extremity 
of  the  forest  and  casts  long  gleams  on  the  hill  where  we 
are  reposing.  I  see  our  sphere  rising  majestically  from  the 
turf  and  K.,  laden  with  flowers,  just  making  to  enter  it. 
Your  little  attendant,  methinks,  is  bounding  along  the 
hanging  gallery,  whilst  other  favourites  are  smoothing  the 
silken  mattresses  within. 

CoLOGNY,  October  21st,  1783. 
5.  O'clock  Eve. 

I  seem  to  walk  in  light  and  tread  in  Air.  My  Happi- 
ness is  inexpressible.  I  have  just  received  a  Letter  in 
answer  to  the  one  you  conveyed,  so  tender  and  affection- 
ate, so  perfectly  all  my  warmest  wishes  could  desire,  that 
my  heart  leaps  with  joy  and  I  run  wild  on  the  slope  of  a 
Hill  overlooking  the  Lake,  unable  to  contain  myself.  The 
Weather  in  harmony  with  my  feelings  is  mild  and  genial 
as  the  Month  of  May.  I  have  been  inhaling  the  soft  per- 
fume of  roses  which  are  newly  blown  and  giving  up  my 
Soul  to  delightful  reveries  in  which  I  fancy  1  behold  you 
emerging  with  Wm.  from  the  light  clouds  which  hover 
about  yonder  Hill.  The  tinkling  sound  of  sheep  bells  is 
caught  by  my  ear  and  I  see  the  herds  winding  slowly 
between  beds  of  fern.  Why  are  you  not  enjoying  with 
me  this  calm  evening  hour  ?  How  anxiously  do  I  wish 
to  behold  once  more  the  light  of  the  setting  sun  glow  on 
your  friendly  countenance.  Take  care  of  the  enclosed 
I  entreat  you  and  send  it  immediately. 


170 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


CoLOGNY,  Novr.  }Stk,  1783. 

Of  all  pleasures  that  of  feeling  oneself  obliged  to  our 
best  and  most  affectionate  friend  is  the  greatest.  I  enjoy 
this  sensation  at  present  and  thank  you  with  a  transport 
of  gratitude,  my  pen  can  never  convey.  The  Letter  you 
enclosed  is  more  delightful  to  me  than  the  return 
of  health  after  a  painful  illness.  Good  God,  my  dear 
Friend,  how  fortunate  I  am  to  have  inspired  the  Object 
of  all  my  tenderness  with  so  warm  and  so  constant  an 
Affection.  Neither  menaces  or  sufferings  have  had  any 
effect.  She  calls  me  her  own  dear  Wm.,  the  sovereign  of 
her  heart,  and  swears  whilst  life  remains  never  to  withdraw 
her  allegiance.  You  will  be  surprized  and  delighted  to 
hear  that  Lady  M[argaret]  has  not  the  least  jealousy  and  in 
the  Letter  I  enclose  and  which  I  entreat  you  to  take  care 
of,  she  assures  .  .  .  with  her  own  hand  of  her  affection.  .  .  . 
Before  you  receive  this  you  will  have  received  your  Son, 
who  when  I  saw  him  last  was  well  in  health  ;  but  ill  in 
Spirits. — The  rivulets  are  frozen,  the  wind  boisterous,  the 
Lake  in  a  fury  and  the  Mountains  lost  in  Clouds  of  Snow, 

but  my  fire  burns  cheerfully  and  the  Letter  from  lies 

in  my  bosom,  so  I  am  warm  and  happy.  If  you  were  but 
here,  I  should  approach  contentment  as  nearly  as  Mortals 
may.  I  hear  from  Fonthill  that  they  are  working  with  all 
their  might ;  but  that  I  must  not  expect  to  enjoy  the 
fruits  of  their  labours  till  this  time  twelve  months.  Be 
that  as  it  will,  I  must  return  in  the  Spring.  I  hear  a  voice 
whose  tone  pierces  my  very  Soul  and  throws  me  into  a 
delirium  against  the  influence  of  which  I  cannot  steel 
myself.  The  attraction  is  too  powerful,  it  is  in  vain  for 
me  to  think  of  resistance. 

Geneva,  Deer.  28th,  1783. 

I  write  in  all  the  hurry  of  packing  up  and  setting  out 
for  Paris.  Not  having  heard  from  William  makes  me 
melancholy,  and  the  North  wind  roaring  over  the  Lake 
helps  little  to  cheer  my  Spirits.  The  Sky  is  heavy  with 
Snow,  and  the  frozen  aspects  of  the  Mountains  strikes  me 
with  terror.  To-night  I  am  warm  and  secure  in  a  long 
range  of  apartments,  half  visible  by  the  glow  of  embers, 
for  all  the  lights  are  extinguished.  To-morrow  I  shall 
shiver  on  the  banks  of  the  little  ill-natured  Lake  of 


CHATEAU  DE  LA  TOUR 


Nantua,  continually  exhaling  noxious  vapours.  Eagerly 
do  I  wish  myself  restored  to  Fonthill  and  to  you.  I  am 
quite  impatient  for  you  to  see  how  much  I  love  Lady 
Margaret  and  how  totally  she  is  free  from  prejudice  and 
wifeishism. 


William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Peter  Beckford 

Fonthill,  ik%  20th,  1784. 

I  think,  my  dear  Louise,  you  will  have  reason  to 
believe  me  gone  to  the  dark  country  from  whence  no 
mortal  can  return.  I  have  been  so  hurried  and  jaded  of 
late  that  I  have  neither  had  time  nor  spirits  to  tell  you 
how  often  my  soul  is  transported  to  the  regions  you 
inhabit,  and  how  eagerly  it  longs  to  converse  once  more 
with  yourself.  Write  to  me  immediately,  I  beseech  you, 
and  let  me  know  where  you  have  determined  to  pass  the 
summer,  for  surely  it  was  in  your  power  to  have  come 
home  and  enjoyed  the  fresh  turf  and  foliage  of  Fonthill. 
L^  M[argaret]  will  harbour  no  prejudices,  nor  suffer  her- 
self to  look  upon  such  a  graceful,  lovely  being  as  your- 
self in  the  light  of  a  malignant  friend.  You  know  but 
too  well  the  venom  that  has  been  spit  at  us  both,  but  be 
assured  not  a  drop  has  tainted  L^  M[argaret]. 

In  about  a  month  I  expect  a  young  one.  Will  you 
not  be  highly  curious  to  see  another  little  animal  de  ma 
fafon,  for  I  flatter  myself  it  will  turn  out  a  true  William. 


William  Beckford  to  Robert  Pigott 


Chateau  de  la  Tour, 
26tk  Feb.,  1786. 

Dear  Pigott, 

I  envy  not  your  Temple  of  Apollo,  nor  the  tiresome 
Levels  and  vineyards  of  Burgundy.  Calmly  resigned  to 
my  present  Situation  I  cling  fast  to  my  tutelary  Mountains. 
When  shall  we  see  you  again  at  their  Base  ?  I  take  for 
granted  you  propose  returning  to  the  shade  of  your  plane 
trees  in  the  Spring.  We  continue  the  favorites  of 
Heaven  in  respect  to  Weather,  having  violets  and  wall- 
flowers in  profusion.  Flies  buzzing  a  summer  song  almost 
every  day  on  the  Terrace  and  now  and  then  a  butterfly  by 
way  of  regale.    Are  you  not  astonished  and  have  we  not 


172 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


reason  to  adore  the  great  Mithra  ?  I  find  by  your  Letter 
just  received  that  you  have  enjoyed  at  Dijon  the  same 
blessed  Sunshine  which  has  been  cheering  the  sohtary 
expanse  of  our  Lake,  and  gilding  the  snows  of  our 
Mountains.  I  learn  also  to  my  great  surprise  that  you 
are  going  to  breathe  the  freshness  of  Pan  and  the  vernal 
exhalations  of  the  Rue  Platriere  where  the  grand  Collection 
you  talk  of  will  be  exposed.  I  have  long  since  been  favored 
with  a  Catalogue  and  have  sent  commissions  particularly 
for  the  L.  P.  Boileau  and  Fontenelle,  twenty  or  thirty 
Vols. :  and  some  volumes  on  the  Black  Art. — Our  Balls 
continue  quite  amusing — a  fine  show  of  young  innocent 
Tits  in  the  first  heyday  of  Spirits  and  Tender  inclinations, 
prancing  and  curvetting  and  giggling  and  whisking  from 
one  room  to  another.  No  Papas,  no  mammas,  no  Uncles, 
a  long  range  of  apartment,  animating  musick,  flowing 
drapery,  snug  corners  in  the  Windows — four  foot  deep. — 
Rare  work  for  young  fellows  you  must  allow,  and  nice 
hotbeds  for  expanding  the  hearts  of  these  lovely  blossoms. 
— I  leave  you  to  imagine  the  wriggling  Waist  and  lan- 
guishing eyes  of  Madlle.  de  B.  endowed  as  well  as  most  of 
her  fair  Companions  with  an  exquisite  sensibility  for 
lyrical  performances. 

The  years  1783  to  1786  make  little  call  upon  Beckford's 
biographer.  The  honeymoon  had  been  spent  in  travelling, 
and  when  it  was  over,  the  bride  and  bridegroom,  still 
ardent  lovers,  stayed  for  a  while  at  Cologny,  near  Geneva. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  year,  having  made  up  their  minds 
to  sojourn  for  an  indefinite  period  under  southern  skies, 
they  decided  to  rent  a  more  commodious  residence,  and 
took  up  their  quarters  at  the  Chateau  de  la  Tour,  near 
Vevey.  There,  in  June  1784,  was  born  a  daughter, 
Margaret  Maria  Elizabeth,  and  on  May  14,  1786,  another, 
Susan  Euphemia.  A  fortnight  later  the  young  mother 
died.  The  marriage  had  been  an  ideal  union,  and  Beckford's 
grief  was  terrible.  His  friends,  fearful  of  his  losing  his 
reason  or  taking  his  life,  rushed  him  from  place  to  place, 
hoping  that  change  of  scene  might  distract  his  thoughts, 
even  momentarily,  from  his  loss.    To  some  extent  this 


MAKGAEET  AND  SUSAN  BECKFORD 
George  Romney 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 


LADY  MARGARET  BECKFORD  173 

plan  was  successful,  for  after  some  weeks  Beckford  became 
again  a  reasonable  being.  He  allowed  arrangements  to 
be  made  for  his  children  to  be  sent  to  his  mother,  then 
living  at  West  End,  between  the  villages  of  Hampstead 
and  Kilburn ;  but  himself  continued  to  move  restlessly 
from  town  to  town,  seeking  not  change  of  place,  but 
change  of  thought.  Early  in  1787  he  came  for  a  few 
weeks  to  England.  Though  time  mercifully  mitigated 
the  transports  of  his  grief,  it  never  ousted  from  his  mind 
the  memory  of  his  gracious,  beautiful  wife.  Rarely  he 
spoke  of  her,  but  when  he  did  mention  her  it  was  in  a  way 
that  made  it  clear  that  she  was  always  in  his  mind ;  though 
his  wealth  and  genius  made  him  the  target  of  fortune- 
hunters,  he  never  even  thought  to  marry  again ;  and  his 
tender  memories  of  her,  enduring  through  the  passage  of 
years,  acting  upon  an  emotional  nature,  may  have  had 
more  to  do  with  his  subsequent  retirement  than  is  generally 
supposed. 


CHAPTER  IX 


SPAIN,  PORTUGAL,  FRANCE  (1787-1796) 

Beckford  visits  Portugal :  Becomes  acquainted  with  the  Marialva 
family  at  Lisbon  :  His  impressions  of  the  country  :  A  bull-fight : 
In  Spain  :  Returns  to  Portugal  :  Then  goes  to  Paris  :  A  suspect : 
His  life  in  danger  :  Chardin  effects  his  escape  to  England] :  At 
Fonthill  :  At  Lausanne  :  Purchases  Gibbon's  library  :  Alcoba9a 
and  Batalha  :  Byron  on  Beckford's  "  paradise  "  at  Montserrat  : 
Beckford's  two  burlesque  novels 

Beckford's  life  falls  naturally  into  two  divisions  ;  the  first 
including  the  years  during  which  he  wandered  over  Europe, 
the  second  the  fifty  years  he  lived  in  England  at  Fonthill 
and  at  Bath.  The  final  years  of  the  earlier  period  have 
now  to  be  discussed;  but  this  can  be  done  very  briefly 
because  Beckford's  impressions  of  Spain  and  Portugal  have 
already  been  published  in  book  form,  and  need  not  here  be 
recapitulated. 

Beckford, after  a  brief  sojourn  in  England,left  Falmouth 
for  Portugal,  where  he  arrived  in  April  (1787).  At  Lisbon 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Marquis  of  Marialva,  and, 
the  acquaintance  ripening  into  intimacy,  facilities,  rarely 
vouchsafed  to  a  foreigner,  were  given  him  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  affairs  of  the  court  and  the  kingdom. 
Thus,  he  had  the  advantage — and  this  is  one  of  the  reasons 
why  his  Portuguese  letters  are  so  valuable — of  being  able 
to  record  from  within  the  state  of  Portugal  on  the  eve  of 
the  French  Revolution,  the  effects  of  which  were  soon 
discernible  in  the  neighbouring  countries.  Beckford's 
impressions  may  be  summed  up  in  his  own  words,  uttered 
in  the  course  of  a  conversation  with  Cyrus  Redding. 

174 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 
George  Romney 

By  permission  of  the  DuTce  of  Hamilton 


PORTUGAL 


175 


"The  Portuguese  Court  was  not  more  dissolute  than 
other  courts  at  that  time,"  he  said.  "There  was  great 
goodness  of  heart  in  some  of  the  nobility  and  ecclesiastics  ; 
but  they  were  an  indolent,  luxurious  race.  The  country 
people  were  excellent,  tainted  with  few  vices ;  the  character 
of  the  Lisbon  canaille  abominable — the  most  flagrant  vices 
were  common  in  the  towns.  The  ignorance  of  all  classes, 
too,  was  deplorable.  The  Prior  of  St.  Vincent's,  my 
friend,  was  an  ecclesiastic  of  great  learning  and  accom- 
plishments— an  excellent  man.  There  were  few  his  equals 
in  Portugal.  But  the  beauty  of  nature  there — it  was  a 
heaven  upon  earth.  I  long  more  than  ever  for  such  a 
climate." 

Most  of  the  places  Beckford  visited,  and  the  spectacles 
he  witnessed,  are  described  in  his  volume  of  travels,  but 
the  following  account  (in  a  letter)  of  a  bull-fight  finds  no 
place  in  it,  and  may  therefore  be  given  here. 

July  8tk,  1787. 

The  Marquis  of  M[arialva]  and  Don  Pedro,  who  dined 
here  to-day,  accompanied  me  in  the  Evening  to  the  Bull-fight. 
Twelve  of  the  devoted  Animals  were  standing  with  all  the 
dullness  and  resignation  of  Oxen  in  the  middle  of  an  open 
Amphitheatre  capable  of  holding  3  or  4,000  people.  The 
poor  beasts  gave  no  signs  of  courage  or  ferocity.  I  never 
saw  a  quieter  party  in  one  of  our  cow-yards  of  Tottenham 
Court  Road.  We  had  waited  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
in  one  Box,  when  there  tumbled  into  the  Arena  a  dozen 
hideous  Negroes,  grotesquely  habited  in  a  sort  of  Indian- 
Chinese  fashion,  who,  after  several  awkward  leaps  and 
vaultings,  drove  the  herd  of  bullocks  into  an  enclosure 
fastened  up  with  painted  boards.  Then  entered  a  proces- 
sion of  Blackamoors  in  laced  jackets  preceding  the  principal 
Combatant  and  his  aide-de-Camp  mounted  on  fine  Horses, 
prancing  and  curvetting.  Having  paraded  round  the 
Amphitheatre  and  saluted  the  Company  in  the  boxes,  the 
door  of  the  enclosure  was  thrown  open  and  a  Bull  forced 
out,  much  against  his  inclination.  He  stood  stock  still 
for  a  moment  or  two,  till,  the  Horseman  whirling  round 
him,  darted  his  lance  into  his  shoulder.    Tho'  stung  with 


/ 


176  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

pain  he  made  no  violent  efforts  to  defend  or  revenge  him- 
self, and  was  larded  with  lances  till,  his  joints  slackening 
and  his  whole  frame  quivering  with  agony,  he  dropped 
down  dead.  Eleven  more  were  slaughtered  pretty  nearly 
in  the  same  stupid  manner,  and,  tho'  scared  by  fireworks, 
pinked  with  swords,  worried  by  dogs,  and  provoked  by 
the  grinning  Negroes,  never  ventured  except  in  one  solitary 
instance  to  attack  the  Horseman.  It  required  less  valour 
than  hardness  of  heart  to  attack  such  patient  Animals.  I 
was  highly  disgusted  with  the  spectacle,  it  set  my  nerves 
on  edge,  and  I  seemed  to  feel  cuts  and  slashes  over  my 
shoulders  the  rest  of  the  evening. 

From  Portugal,  Beckford  in  December  went  to  Spain, 
where  he  stayed  several  months,  visiting  the  principal 
towns. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Craven* 

Madrid,  SOth  May,  1788. 

And  so  I  have  been  in  Spain,  and  have  been  in  Love 
over  head  and  ears,  which  is  still  more  extraordinary. 
Perhaps  you  knew  at  Vienna  the  Mother  of  my  flame,  the 
Countess  de  Walstein,  a  Sister  of  the  Lichtensteins. 
Don't  let  your  imagination  loose  upon  Spain — it  is  a 
hideous  parched-up  Country,  with  only  here  and  there  a 
tolerable  spot  like  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Ramshorn  in  the 
deserts  of  Lybia.  Where  are  you,  Superior  Being  ?  when 
shall  we  meet  ?  When  will  the  hour  of  entire  Confidence 
arrive,  when  the  secrets  of  both  our  hearts  will  be  mutually 
laid  open  ?  I  long  to  see  your  glorious  eyes  once  more, 
and  talk  to  you  about  Portugal — a  pleasanter  region  than 
Spain  and  in  which  I  was  also  up  to  the  neck  in  adven- 
tures, v.,  always  gay  and  amusing  and  the  best  company 
in  the  World,  is  never  tired  of  doing  you  justice,  and  tell- 
ing all  those  who  have  ears  to  hear  that  there  exists  but 
one  Lady  Craven.  What  are  you  about? — ^gathering 
roses  perhaps  or  composing  pastorals  full  of  grace  and 
sprightliness.  I  am  ten  times  more  musically  given  than 
ever,  and  quite  wild  with  hearing  Segindillas  and  Fan- 
dangos. Did  you  receive  my  scrawl  from  Lisbon? — if 
you  did,  you  deserve  to  be  hoodwinked  for  not  having 

*  Elizabeth,  Countess  of  Craven ;  afterwards  Margravine  of  Anspach, 


PARIS 


177 


answered  it.  .  .  .  ^Your  Duchess  of  Villa-hermosa  is 

gone  stark  staring  mad,  fancies  herself  a  cat  and  hunts  her 
Husband  over  Chairs  and  under  Tables,  declaring  before 
Aunts,  Uncles  and  physicians  that  he  is  a  Mouse  to  all 
intents  and  purposes.  Your  nibbling  Torment,  I  fear,  is 
but  too  well  and  lively.  Such  creatures  never  die.  Has 
he  given  any  fresh  disturbance  lately  ?  Remember  I  have 
not  forgotten  the  comfortable  hours  we  passed  at  Paris, 
and  that  I  am  all  impatience  to  learn  from  you  when  I 
may  look  for  a  Chance  of  renewing  them.  Mother  Starck 
never  writes  to  me.  I  suppose  her  lost  in  doating  fond- 
ness for  the  youthful  partner  of  her  fusty  Bed.  Is  she 
not  a  most  Husbandrious  Animal  ?  Et  a  son  age — fi  done 
.  .  .  Do  not  let  us  talk  however — God  knows  what  we 
may  come  to.  .  .  .  Adieu,  I  am  and  ever  shall  be  yours 
with  delight  and  admiration. 

From  Spain,  Beckford  returned  to  Portugal;  and, 
after  staying  there  awhile,  went  to  Paris. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey 

Paris,  9th  April,  1789. 

Mr.  X  is  the  fulsomest  of  all  God's  creatures  when 

he  talks  or  looks  Love  and  Marriage.  Your  recollections 
of  the  water-gruel  Ara  made  me  laugh.  You  have  capital 
recollections.  How  can  you  have  the  courage  to  put  me 
in  mind  of  Stags  Eyes,  after  the  fatal  dance  they  have 
been  leading  me  ?  If  they  get  out  a  little  again,  let  me 
know.  The  luminaries  you  enquire  after  are  immensely 
large  and  brilliant ;  but  cannot  boast  that  roving  wildness ; 
that  fascinating  languor  which  Solomon  runs  mad  about 
in  his  song.  You  see  sacred  ideas  are  always  uppermost 
with  your  Holy  Brother,  who  receives  every  day  fresh 
invitations  to  come  and  rejoice  in  the  Lord  with  the  faith- 
full  in  Portugal.  I  long  to  show  you  the  journal  of  my 
adventures  in  that  strange  corner  of  Europe.  Perhaps  it 
may  afford  you  better  amusement  than  M  s  compila- 
tions. He  is  a  fine,  sly  smirking  Gentleman,  but  has 
no  genius.  I  think  piety  seems  to  have  taken  refuge  in 
England.  The  papers  are  chokefull  of  devout  ejaculations, 
extracts  from  Sermons  and  commendations  of  Chapel- 
goers  and  Chapel  Musick.  St.  Paul's,  I  hear,  is  dusting 
out  for  a  very  grand  and  pious  occasion.  I  should  like  to  see 

M 


/ 


178  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

how  the  cloak  of  religious  Enthusiasm  sits  upon  my  Lord 
Chancellor's  sturdy  shoulders.  I  would  not  come  within 
whine  of  Ly.  Effingham,  Lady  Stafford  or  Lady  Euphemia 
for  a  thousand  pounds.  Protestant  Calvinistical  Cantings 
will  not  [settle]  upon  my  Stomach.  Neither  prudence  nor 
propriety  could  prevent  my  throwing  them  up  with  loud 
and  bitter  reachings.  I  pray  in  vain  to  St.  Anthony  to 
beg  fair  weather  of  the  powers  above.  Nothing  can  be 
fouler  than  the  sky,  or  more  filthy  than  the  Land.  Several 
new  species  of  noxious  reptiles  are  said  to  have  made  their 
first  appearance  above  ground,  to  the  confusion  of  Farmers 
and  Naturalists.  Tho'  there  is  allowed  to  be  nothing  new 
under  the  Sun,  you  see  clouds  and  darkness  have  been 
productive  of  some  novelty.  I  have  been  greatly  dis- 
ordered by  the  unwholesome  dampness  of  the  Atmosphere. 
My  guts  growl  and  grumble  incessantly.  I  read  from 
Morn  till  Night,  having  purchased  at  the  Soubise  Sale  a 
number  of  original  out-of-the-way  Authors  which  delight 
and  surprise  me  beyond  measure.  I  have  thirty  or  forty 
volumes  in  Latin,  Spanish  and  Portuguese,  about  China 
and  Japan,  full  of  the  rarest  stories  imaginable  of  Castles, 
Treasures  and  miracles.  Pray  did  not  I  leave  in  your 
hands  three  volumes  of  Madame  du  Boccage  and  a  little 
book  of  Mother  Starck's  called  les  Contes  du  Serrail? 
Lady  C[raven]  continues  pressing  me  to  come  to  Anspack, 
and  I  am  half  inclined  to  postpone  my  visit  to  the  Rocks 
of  Misilmeri  and  accept  her  invitation.  She  honours  me 
with  the  title  of  Arabian,  tho'  I  confess  I  have  done  but 
little  to  deserve  it.  The  M[argrave],  like  a  lump  of  dough, 
takes  what  form  she  pleases.  I  am  sorry  to  hear  of  my 
Babe  with  the  hideous  mane's  yellowness,  because  I  am 
certain  it  will  torment  my  Mother.  I  beg  you  will  let 
me  know  particularly  how  she  does  and  that  you  will 
believe  me 

Most  sincerely  and  affectionately, 
Yrs, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

At  Paris  Beckford  remained,  buying  books  and  curios ; 
and  he  was  there  when,  in  July  1789,  the  Bastille  was 
demolished  by  the  mob.  In  spite  of  the  social  upheavings, 
however,  he  stayed  on,  apparently  enjoying  himself  very 
much. 


PARIS 


179 


William  Beckford  to  Thomas  Wildman 

Paris,  9>9th  Nov.,  1791. 

Happy,  aye,  thrice  happy,  are  those  who  in  this  good 
Capital  and  at  this  period  have  plenty  of  money — their 
Kingdom  is  come,  their  will  is  done  on  Earth,  if  not  in 
Heaven.  By  St.  Anthony,  my  dear  Friend,  I  never  was 
better  amused  since  I  existed.  I  have  the  most  delightful 
apartments,  and  the  best  wine  and  the  best  Bristol  waters, 
and  the  bed,  everything.  You  cannot  expect  therefore 
that  I  should  leave  one  farthing  of  the  sum  you  have  (of 
mine)  undrawn  for.  No,  no,  you  may  curtail  at  Fonthill 
as  much  as  you  judge  convenient — I  have  forgotten 
Fonthill — and  everybody  in  England  except  yourself  and 
Mrs.  Wildman.  Madame  Seraphina  thought  I  should 
answer  her  Epistles — not  I,  indeed  ! — /  am  above  making 
any  sort  of  use  of  them  whateve?\ 

The  finest  dinner  which  ever  Flanders  or  Saxony 
produced  is  scarcely  thought  worthy  to  garnish  my  side- 
boards— or  be  spread  under  my  boots  when  I  return  in 
all  the  majesty  of  mud,  from  dashing  in  the  most  in- 
vincible manner  thro'  the  sloughs  of  the  Bois-de-Boulogne^ 
attended  by  half-a-dozen  Captains  and  Lieutenants  of  the 
Garde  Nationale.  Don't  suppose  I  wait  one  instant  for 
my  carriage  at  the  Opera  (where,  by  the  bye,  I  have  taken 
possession  of  the  Prince  de  Conde's  Box) — not  a  bit — 
down  drives  my  coach,  upon  the  slightest  signal,  to  the 
admiration  and  desolation  of  penniless  Dukes,  Counts,  and 
half-pay  Ambassadors.  I  neither  cant  nor  whine  nor 
wear  out  the  cushions  at  St.  Sulpice  with  kneeling — St. 
Anthony  having  given  me  leave  of  absence  from  such  sort 
of  places — till  he  had  settled  things  in  Portugal — to  my 
wishes. — W^^  to  God — he  w^  take  better  care  of  my 
oranges — I  cannot  imagine  what  the  deuce  is  become  of 
them.  The  Rochdale,  Captain  Lake,  is  longer  between 
Lisbon  and  London  than  any  ship  I  ever  heard  of. 

Beckford  was  still  at  Pariis  in  January  1793  when 
Louis  XVI.,  in  the  sacred  name  of  liberty,  equality,  and 
fraternity,  was  beheaded  in  the  Place  de  Louis  Quinze : 
it  is  said  he  was  actually  present  at  the  execution.  About 
that  time  he  became  a  suspect,  and  at  one  moment  his 


/ 


180  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

liberty,  and  perhaps  his  life  too,  was  in  danger.  Chardin, 
the  bookseller,  heard  of  his  patron's  peril,  ran  to  his  house, 
made  him  change  his  clothes  for  those  of  a  "  commission- 
aire libraire,"  and,  under  cover  of  night,  conducted  him  to 
the  shop  of  M^rigot,  another  and  more  celebrated  dealer 
in  rare  tomes.  There  for  a  while  Beckford  masqueraded 
as  a  clerk,  until  Chardin  secured  for  him  a  passport  in  an 
assumed  name,  when  the  millionaire  fled  to  England. 
Beckford,  who  never  failed  to  remember  and  acknowledge 
kindness,  in  return  for  Chardin's  services,  settled  on  him 
an  annuity  of  2400  francs. 

How  long  Beckford  stopped  in  England  is  not  known, 
but  he  went  to  Fonthill,  and  gave  various  instructions  for 
the  improvement  of  the  house  and  grounds,  and  ordered 
the  erection  of  a  wall  to  enclose  his  estates.  This  wall 
was  to  be  completed  by  the  autumn  of  1796,  and  while  it 
vv^as  being  built  he  again  went  abroad.  Early  in  1794  he 
was  at  Lausanne,  where  he  purchased  Gibbon's  library  from 
the  historian's  heirs  for  £950.  The  library  consisted  of 
more  than  six  thousand  volumes,  and  contained  editions 
of  the  principal  historical  writers,  and,  what  doubtless 
interested  the  purchaser  more,  an  extensive  collection  of 
books  of  travel — ^the  most  valuable  work  was  an  edition  of 
Eusthathius."^  "  I  bought  the  library  to  have  something 
to  read  when  I  passed  through  Lausanne,"  Beckford  said. 

I  shut  myself  up  for  six  weeks  from  early  in  the  morning 
until  night,  only  now  and  then  taking  a  ride.  The  people 
thought  me  mad.  I  read  myself  nearly  blind."  Beckford 
packed  up  about  two  thousand  five  hundred  of  the  most 
valuable  volumes,  which  he  proposed  to  send  to  Fonthill ; 
but  he  never  carried  out  his  intention,  and  subsequently 

*  "  It  is,  of  all  the  libraries  I  ever  saw,  that  of  which  I  should  most 
covet  the  possession — that  which  seems  exactly  what  any  gentleman  or 
gentlewoman  fond  of  letters  could  wish.  Although  in  no  particular  walk  of 
literature  a  perfect  collection,  in  the  classical  part  perhaps  less  than  any 
other ;  and  in  the  Greek  less  than  in  the  Latin  Classics,  still  there  are 
many  good  editions  of  all  the  best  authors  in  both  languages.  The  books, 
though  neither  magnificent  in  their  editions  or  in  their  bindings,  are  all 
in  good  condition,  all  clean,  such  as  one  wishes  to  read,  and  could  have 
no  scruple  in  using," — Mary  Berry,  Journals,  July  6,  1803. 


PORTUGAL 


181 


presented  the  entire  collection  to  a  local  physician,  Scholl 
by  name. 

From  Lausanne  Beckford  went  to  Madrid,  and  then 
to  Portugal,  where  he  arrived  in  May. 

The  Prince  Regent  of  Portugal,  for  reasons  with  which 
I  was  never  entirely  acquainted  (he  wrote  on  June  3), 
took  it  into  his  royal  head,  one  fair  morning,  to  desire  I 
would  pay  a  visit  to  the  monasteries  of  Alcoba^a  and 
Batalha,  and  to  name  my  intimate  and  particular  friends, 
the  Grand  Prior  of  Aviz,  and  the  Prior  of  St.  Vincent's, 
as  my  conductors.  Nothing  could  be  more  gracious,  or,  in 
many  respects,  more  agreeable  ;  still,  just  at  this  moment, 
having  what  I  thought  much  pleasanter  engagements  nearer 
home,  I  cannot  pretend  that  I  felt  so  much  enchanted  as 
I  ought  to  have  been. 

A  royal  wish  is  a  command,  and  Beckford  obeyed, 
thereby  enriching  the  world  with  the  twelve  letters,  which 
were  published  in  1835,  under  the  title  of  "Recollections 
of  an  Excursion  to  the  Monasteries  of  Alcobacja  and 
Batalha." 

During  this  last  visit  to  Portugal  Beckford  resided  at 
Montserrat,  near  Cintra,  since  immortalised  by  Byron. 

There  thou  too,  Vathek !  England's  wealthiest  son^ 
Once  formed  thy  Paradise,  as  not  aware 
When  wanton  Wealth  her  mightiest  deeds  hath  done, 
Meek  Peace  voluptuous  lures  was  ever  wont  to  shun. 

"  Here  didst  thou  dwell,  here  schemes  of  pleasure  plan, 
Beneath  yon  mountain's  ever  beauteous  brow, 
But  now,  as  if  a  thing  unblest  by  Man, 
Thy  fairy  dwelling  is  as  lone  as  thou  ! 
Here  giant  weeds  a  passage  scarce  allow 
To  halls  deserted,  portals  gaping  wide ; 
Fresh  lessons  to  the  thinking  bosom,  how 
Vain  are  thy  pleasaunces  on  earth  supplied ; 
Swept  into  wrecks  anon  by  Time's  ungentle  hand."  * 

It  must  not  be  inferred  from  these  lines  (as  is  usually 
done),  that  Beckford  had  built  for  himself  a  house 
at  Montserrat.    "The  fact  of  the  matter  is  this,"  he 

*  "  Childe  Harold,"  Canto  I.,  stanzas  xxii.-xxiii. 


182 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


explained  to  Cyrus  Redding.  "  On  my  first  visit  to 
Portugal,  I  saw  the  situation ;  it  was  a  beautiful  Claude- 
like place,  surrounded  by  a  most  enchanting  country.  It 
belonged  to  a  M.  de  Visme,  a  merchant,  of  whom,  at  the 
time,  I  could  not  obtain  it.  Afterwards,  however,  he 
pulled  down  the  house,  and  built  another  in  barbarous 
Gothic.  On  my  return,  I  rented  the  place  of  him  ;  for 
although  he  had  knocked  down  the  old  edifice,  he  could  not 
level  the  hills,  nor  root  up  the  woods.  I  build  it  1  'twas 
built  by  a  carpenter  from  Falmouth." 

It  was  probably  during  this  last  tour  that  Beckford 
wrote  the  two  burlesques,  "  Modern  Novel  Writing,  or. 
The  Elegent  Enthusiast:  and  Interesting  Emotions  of 
Arabella  Bloomville,"  and  "  Azemia,  A  Novel :  containing 
Imitations  of  the  Manner,  both  in  Prose  and  Verse,  of 
many  of  the  Authors  of  the  Present  Day."  These  books 
were  issued  respectively  in  1796  and  1797,  the  former 
under  the  pseudonym  of  "  The  Right  Hon.  Lady  Harriet 
Marlow,"  and  the  latter  was  by  "  Jacquetta  Agnetta  Mar- 
cana  Jenks."  It  seems  likely  that  the  novels  his  "  sister,' 
Mrs.  Hervey,  wrote,  suggested  to  him  these  burlesques. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey  to  William  Beckford 

Jan.  12,  1790. 

How  can  I  express  how  highly  flattered  I  feel  at  the 
approbation  he  gives  to  Louisa  * — I  was  vain  enough  to 
hope  you  would  find  something  that  would  please  you  in 
this  Tale,  but  I  never  dared  to  think  that  you  would  find 
so  much,  and  what  charms  me  most  is,  that  you  approve 
of  what  I  myself  deem  the  best  parts  of  the  Book — The 
fragment  of  the  Russian  Prince  I  endeavoured  to  make 
interesting,  and  the  farewell  scene  I  vn^ote  con  amove,  I 
hear  from  all  quarters  that  the  Book  takes  wonderfully ; 
Hookham  from  the  first  was  pleased  with  it,  and  sanguine 

*  "  Louisa ;  or.  The  Reward  of  an  Affectionate  Daughter.  A  Novel.*' 
Published  anonymously,  in  2  vols.,  by  Hookham,  New  Bond  Street, 
London,  1790. 


BECKFORD'S  BURLESQUES  183 


as  to  its  success.  But  the  Printer  has  in  some  places  made 
cruel  mistakes,  and  to  my  great  discomposure  constantly 
spells  embarrassed  wrong.  This  however  can't  be  helped, 
and  if  other  people's  misfortunes  can  afford  any  consola- 
tion, I  may  find  some  in  the  errors  that  Cadell  has  made 
in  Mrs.  Smith's  Ethelinde. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey  to  Willam  Beckford 

Jan.  15,  1790. 

You  flatter  me  most  agreeably,  my  dear  brother ;  but 
I  cannot  believe  that  with  all  your  partiality  you  can  think 
Louisa  worthy  to  be  compared  with  anything  Miss  Burney 
ever  wrote  ;  nor  indeed  with  Mrs.  Smith's  Emmeline.  As 
to  her  last  production,  I  think  it  so  inferior  to  the  other, 
that  possibly  Louisa  may  meet  with  indulgent  persons 
who  may  like  her  as  well,  if  not  better  than  the  Recluse  of 
the  Lake;  but  perhaps  even  in  this  supposition  Vanity 
misleads  me — I  rejoice  that  you  are  of  opinion  that  I  have 
happily  hit  off  the  characters  and  style  of  conversation  of 
persons  in  very  different  ranks  of  Life — that  with  a  little 
observation  is  by  no  means  difficult  to  do.  To  form  the 
plot,  to  endeavour  to  present  new  characters  to  the  Public 
attention,  to  make  each  adhere  to  his  own  throughout  the 
piece,  to  interest  the  passions  and  finally  to  bring  on  the 
denouement  certainly  cost  me  much  trouble  ;  but  I  do 
declare,  I  never  dared  to  hope  that  my  Book  would  have 
been  so  well  received,  for  I  daily  receive  the  most  flatter- 
ing Eulogiums  on  it. — Yours,  my  dear  Brother,  particu- 
larly gratifies  every  feeling  of  my  Soul. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey  to  William  Beckford 

June  20,  1790. 

Though  I  think  your  partiality  to  your  sister  prevents 
your  giving  Miss  Burney  all  the  credit  she  deserves  for 
Genius,  Elegance  of  Diction,  etc.,  I  cannot  help  quaffing 
with  delight  the  Bowl  of  Flattery  you  present ;  be  assured 
you  alone  could  give  it  that  zest  which  renders  it  so 
acceptable — As  for  Charlotte  Smith  her  landscapes  are 
perfect  Claudes,  and  I  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  hear 
that  her  pencil  equalled  her  pen.    This  I  learned  from  a 


184 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Lady  who  knew  her  and  the  following  anecdotes  concern- 
ing her. — She  is  about  my  age,  married  when  very  young 
to  a  Sussex  gentleman,  the  owner  of  a  place  called,  I 
think,  Baynal  Park,  or  something  that  sounds  hke  it. 
Their  mutual  extravagance  soon  plunged  them  into 
difficulties.  After  struggling  some  time  with  Calamity 
they  were  forced  to  sell  their  Estate.  Her  Husband 
unfortunately  had  that  rage  for  Projects,  which  she  so 
ludicrously  described  in  Emmeline;  with  the  wreck  of 
their  small  fortune  they  might  have  gone  on  tolerably 
had  not  some  visionary  scheme  constantly  defeated  their 
economical  plans,  and  at  the  moment  they  are  suffering 
under  the  pressure  of  Distress,  which,  however,  she  does 
not  (I  am  told)  feel  very  deeply,  for  she  is  naturally 
thoughtless  or  rather  giddy,  and  I  presume,  like  other 
people  of  lively  imaginations,  she  finds  in  her  own  mind 
sources  of  delight  unknown  to  the  vulgar. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  principal  heroine  of  Azemia  " 
was  intended  for  Mrs.  Hervey ;  and  Thomas  Moore 
relates  in  his  Journals  how  that  lady  "  read  these  parodies 
on  herself  quite  innocently,  and  only  now  and  then 
suspecting  that  they  were  meant  to  laugh  at  her,  saying. 
'  Why,  I  vow  and  protest,  here  is  my  grotto,  etc.  etc' " 
These  burlesques,  which  are  a  reversion  to  the  style  of 
the  "  Biographical  Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters," 
are  good  fooling ;  but  to-day  their  appeal  is,  of  course, 
only  to  those  readers  acquainted  with  the  novels  of  the 
indifferent  writers  who  flourished  at  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 


CHAPTER  X 

AN  ADVENTURE  IN  DIPLOMACY  (1797) 

Inducements  for  Beckford  to  become  a  politician :  A  letter  from 
Lord  Thurlow  :  Beckford  becomes  M.P.  for  Wells  :  Later 
sits  for  Hinton  :  A  silent  member  :  Comments  on  politicians : 
O'Connell,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  Lord  John  Russell, 
Palmerston,  Lord  Howick  ;  His  expectations  of  a  serious 
political  crisis  :  His  desire  to  be  sent  as  British  envoy  to  Lisbon : 
His  attempt  to  negotiate  a  peace  between  France  and  England 
in  1797  :  The  correspondence  relating  thereto 

It  seemed  almost  a  matter  of  course  that  the  son  of 
Alderman  Beckford  should  take  a  prominent  place  in  the 
political  world.  He  had  every  inducement  to  do  so.  His 
father's  name  would  have  been  an  excellent  introduction, 
and  his  father's  friends  were  indeed  anxious  to  secure  his 
assistance ;  he  had  leisure,  wealth,  and  the  choice  of  two 
constituencies  where  his  influence  was  paramount ;  but,  as 
readers  of  the  letters  written  by  him  in  the  later  years  of 
his  minority  will  have  foreseen,  parliament  had  no  attrac- 
tion for  him.  He  took  no  steps  to  be  returned  as  member 
for  either  borough,  and  so  well  was  his  lack  of  interest 
known  to  Lord  Thurlow,  that  the  latter,  in  1784,  had  no 
hesitation  in  taking  upon  himself  the  responsibility  to 
advise  Beckford's  agent,  without  waiting  for  his  employer's 
instructions  from  abroad,  again  to  return  his  nominee 
Lloyd  Kenyon  (afterwards  Master  of  the  Rolls),  for 
Hinton. 

Lord  Thurlow  to  William  Beckford 

[ApHl,  1784] 

Dear  Mr.  Beckford, 

Besides  the  genuine  regret  which  your  Friends  and 
Lady  Margaret's  must  certainly  feel  for  your  Absence  from 

185 


/ 


186  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

England,  a  particular  occasion  has  made  me  wish  you 
were  here  to  decide  for  yourself  a  doubt  entertained  by 
Mr.  Wildman :  which,  however,  if  it  had  not  been  sug- 
gested by  him,  would,  I  own,  never  have  occurred  to  me : 
and  I  have  taken  upon  myself  to  advise  him  accordingly. 
His  doubt  was,  whether  upon  the  change  which  has  lately 
happened  in  the  the  King  s  Government,  he  should  re-elect 
Mr.  Kenyon  to  Hinton  ;  that  is,  use  your  interest  for  that 
purpose,  which  doubtless  would  be  effective.  And  his 
doubt,  as  I  collected  it,  proceeded  on  two  grounds ;  first, 
that  you  might  wish  to  sit  in  ParP  yourself ;  and  secondly, 
that  it  seem'd  to  embark  you  on  one  side  or  other,  without 
your  concurrence.  As  to  the  first,  I  have  always  con- 
sidered, and  clearly  understood,  that,  whenever  you  enter- 
tain such  a  wish,  you  have  but  to  intimate  it,  and  it  must 
be  gratified  forthwith.  That  point,  therefore,  will  remain, 
as  it  has  constantly  done,  altogether  in  your  own  power 
and  choice ;  and  the  Mode  is  of  no  moment,  whether  the 
vacancy  shall  be  created  by  taking  the  Chiltern  Hundreds, 
or  the  Office  of  Attorney-General.  On  the  other  hand, 
to  withdraw  your  assistance  to  re-elect  him  now  [is]  just 
as  express  a  declaration  of  your  purpose  to  remove  him, 
as  if  you  had  desired  him  to  take  the  Chiltern  Hundreds. 
Now,  as  nobody  here  could  undertake  to  notify  him  such 
a  desire,  he  certainly  would  not  have  vacated  by  taking 
any  other  office,  without  either  being  re-elected,  or  know- 
ing your  wishes  to  the  contrary.  Under  these  circum- 
stances 1  took  it  to  be  very  clear,  that  he  [Wildman] 
should  assist  him  [Kenyon]  with  your  interest,  as  he  had 
no  intimation  from  you  to  the  contrary ;  considering  this 
not  only  as  the  safest  side,  but  as  one  upon  which  for  the 
reasons  I  intimated  before  to  err  was  impossible.  His 
other  difficulty,  I  confess,  did  not  strike  me  at  all ;  first, 
because  a  thing  which  all  the  world  would  regard  as  a  thing 
of  course,  done  by  an  agent,  while  you  were  totally  out  of 
the  reach  of  communication,  was  perfectly  clear  of  all 
construction  affiscting  you.  Secondly,  because  if  you 
had  been  within  the  reach  of  deciding  at  all  on  one  side 
or  the  other,  I  have  no  doubt  on  which  it  would  have 
fallen.  This  I  say,  partly  in  reference  to  many  conversa- 
tions which  have  passed  between  us,  and  which  you  do 
know ;  partly  in  reference  to  that  Object,  which  you  have 
trusted  in  my  hands,  and  which  in  this  channel  of  corre- 


BECKFORD  IN  PARLIAMENT  187 


spondence  it  is  obviously  impossible  for  me  to  explain 
myself.*  Although  I  have  great  confidence,  that  I  cannot 
have  acted  wrong  on  this  occasion,  yet  it  will  add  much 
to  my  satisfaction  to  learn  from  you  that  you  are  of  the 
same  opinion. 

THURLOW. 

Beckford,  however,  could  always  be  relied  upon  to  do 
the  unexpected,  and  though  he  was  at  the  time  travelling 
abroad  with  his  wife  and  had  no  notion  when  he  would 
return  to  England,  he  decided  now  to  enter  Parliament. 
He  generously  allowed  Thurlow  to  carry  out  his  plan  to 
secure  the  election  of  Lloyd  Kenyon  at  Hinton,  and  had 
himself  in  his  absence  nominated  for  Wells.  He  was 
returned  for  that  town,  which  he  represented  until  the 
general  election  of  1790,  when  he  caused  himself  to  be 
elected  member  for  Hinton,  which  seat  he  retained  until, 
on  the  last  day  of  1794,  he  took  the  Chiltern  Hundreds. 
Between  1784  and  1794  he  was  little  in  England,  and 
therefore  his  retirement  in  the  latter  year  was  not  directly 
due  to  the  fact  that  he  was  about  to  pay  another  visit  to 
Portugal.  The  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the  fact  tha^  he 
had  no  taste  for  public  life,  and  indeed,  though  he  sat 
again  for  Hinton  from  1806  to  1820,  he  was,  on  the  rare 
occasions  when  he  did  attend  the  House,  a  silent  member. 
He  was  too  easily  wearied  by  the  indifferent  speakers,  and 
far  too  impulsive  to  become  a  useful  member  of  Parlia- 
ment ;  while  he  was  the  last  person  in  the  world  to  submit 
to  the  trammels  of  office.  "  Politics  was  not  my  mission," 
he  said,  towards  the  end  of  his  life.  "  I  was  not  destined 
to  lead  in  politics,  and  was  too  stiff-necked  to  be  a 
follower."  But  though  he  affected  disdain  of  politics,  he 
was,  to  the  end  of  his  days,  passively  interested  in  states- 
men, and  in  the  late  thirties  upon  some  of  them  and  their 
works  he  pronounced  amusing  verdicts.  O'Connell  he 
described  as  "  a  Dan-o'-the-wisp,  a  terrible  ignis  fatuus 

*  See  correspondence  concerning  Beckford's  desire  to  be  created  a 
peer,  p.  229  of  this  work. 


188  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

riding  on  the  back  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and 
dancing  about  in  the  bogs  of  Ireland,"  and  he  pronounced 
his  orations  to  be  "an  excellent  imitation  of  arrowroot 
made  out  of  potato-scrapings";  while  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham  he  set  down  as  **  the  prize  donkey,  paraded 
about  at  all  the  agricultural  shows,  and  upon  which  the 
farmer  is  seen  riding  to  the  Jerusalem  of  monopoly." 
Lord  John  Russell  he  thought  "  a  hobbler,"  adding  that 
this  politician  **  had  maimed  himself  by  a  compound  frac- 
ture of  finality  and  therefore  he  always  limped  after  the 
rest  of  his  party,"  and  prophesying  that  "  his  Lordship 
would  dwindle  down  to  a  full  stop  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  for  he  was  only  the  miniature  of  a  great  states- 
man." On  the  other  hand,  he  believed  Palmerston  to  be 
clever,  but  regretted  that  "  politics  seem  to  have  the  same 
effect  upon  his  mind  that  opium  has  upon  the  brain  of  a 
Chinaman.  He  runs  after  the  humming  bird  of  political 
chimeras  as  a  Cupid  does  after  a  butterfly."  He  was  in 
favour  of  the  Reform  Bill,  thinking  it  was  "not  only 
wanted  to  amuse  the  people,  but  might  be  looked  upon 
as  the  manufacturing  interest  cutting  its  eye-tooth."  A 
few  statesmen,  too,  won  his  approval,  notably  Lord  Grey 
and  Lord  Morpeth,  while  he  expressed  his  belief  that 
Lord  Howick  possessed  a  mind  far  beyond  the  position  he 
had  made  for  himself.  "  I  only  wish  he  would  lead  the 
party,"  he  said,  "  depend  upon  it  he  is  the  best  man  for 
the  times  ;  he  is  high-minded,  honest,  prudent,  and  a  good 
man — rare  qualities  in  these  times  for  dealing  with  the 
soldier  of  expediency." 

Beckford  had  probably  been  so  deeply  horrified  by  the 
scenes  he  had  witnessed  at  Paris  during  the  Revolution 
that  to  the  end  of  his  days  he  was  imbued  with  the  dread 
that  such  happenings  might  come  to  pass  in  his  own 
country.  It  was  this  that  made  him  an  alarmist,  and 
caused  him  always  to  anticipate  the  worst,  and  to  regard 
the  thirties  of  the  last  century  as  "  black,  bloodshot  times." 
He  was  convinced  that  a  serious  political  crisis  was  at 


HOME  POLITICS 


189 


hand;  but  he  admitted  he  was  greatly  pleased  on  his 
return  to  England  in  1796,  after  his  long  absence,  to  find 
that  the  rumours  of  the  disaffection  prevailing  among  the 
lower  classes  at  home  had  been  vastly  exaggerated. 
"  When  I  looked  at  the  cottages,  and  contrasted  their 
appearance  with  the  dwellings  of  the  country  I  had 
quitted,"  he  said,  "  I  thought  to  myself,  that  these  men 
with  their  windows  so  nicely  glazed,  are  not  likely  to 
throw  stones." 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clark 

FONTHILL,  1832. 

I  do  not  wonder  at  the  progress  of  emigration.  Flee 
from  the  wrath  to  come,  is  sounding  through  the  atmo- 
sphere like  a  blast  from  the  dread  trumpet  we  read  of  in 
the  Apocalypse.  Lord  Grey  and  his  set  think  of  nothing 
and  look  to  nothing  but  their  places.  The  vision  of  the 
trunkless  hand  seems  to  have  warned  the  premier  to  little 
purpose.  He  keeps  on — ^on — on — as  if  advancing  to  a  bed 
of  roses,  instead  of  the  gulf  of  ruin  and  despair ! 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clark 

FoNTHILL  [1834?] 

Disraeli's  predictions  are  drawing  on  towards  accom- 
plishment. The  comet-shock  of  the  two  Houses  must 
soon  take  place.  It  is  to  be  supposed  the  Tories  are 
prepared — army  staunch  to  a  man — artillery  ready  to 
fly  here,  there  and  everywhere;  great  captains'  armour 
buckled  on;  and  plans  of  campaign  digested.  If  such 
arrangements  be  not  already  made,  and  in  the  most  in- 
trepid and  masterly  manner,  the  conflict  will  assume  a 
dreary  aspect  for  those  who  have  anything  to  lose.  The 
moment  a  decided  vote  of  their  present  Lordships  sweeps 
out  Lord  Grey,  in  march  the  Unions.  Then  rise  the 
flames,  signal  for  plunder  and  for  blood.  All  execrable 
varieties  of  desecration  and  confiscation  will  fill  the  cup 
of  horrors  till  its  poisonous  overflowings  bhster  and 


/ 


190  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

destroy  every  object  upon  which  a  drop  falls ;  and  those 
drops  will  fall  thicker  than  dew. 

If  Beckford  never  took  any  active  part  in  politics,  he 
had,  however,  a  fair  share  of  patriotism,  and  would  gladly, 
on  occasion,  have  served  his  country  as  a  diplomatist. 
"  You  are  not  aware,  perhaps,  that  I  offered  my  services 
to  the  government,  at  a  critical  moment,  as  an  envoy 
to  the  court  of  Lisbon,"  he  told  Cyrus  Redding.  "  My 
intimacy  with  the  Prince  Regent,  and  my  intimacy  with 
the  Marialva  family,  adapted  me  for  such  a  post.  It 
came  to  nothing  ;  but  I  think  I  could  have  done  my 
country  some  service.  In  the  Marialva  villa,  where 
1  passed  so  many  delightful  hours,  the  celebrated  con- 
vention was  signed,  for  which  Sir  Arthur  Wellesley 
was  so  much  censured.'*  This  offer  was  not  accepted, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  ever  again  he  volunteered  to  place 
his  services  at  the  disposal  of  that  or  any  subsequent 
Government ;  but  he  did  once  dabble  unofficially  in  high 
po]itics,  and  actually  endeavoured,  by  the  unaided  efforts 
of  himself  and  his  agents,  to  arrange  a  basis  for  a  treaty 
of  peace  between  France  and  England  in  the  year  1797. 
The  magnificence  and  audacity  of  the  scheme,  coupled 
with  the  sound  business  instinct  underlying  it,  was 
thoroughly  in  accord  with  Beckford's  character. 

In  the  correspondence  that  has  passed  through  the 
hands  of  the  present  writer  the  first  hint  of  such  a  scheme 
is  in  the  last  paragraph  of  a  letter  discussing  "  Claudes 
and  Japans,"  dated  Fonthill,  July  11,  1797,  from  Beckford 
to  Nicholas  Williams,  his  agent  at  Paris. 

You  know  how  to  act  in  every  particular,  in  every 
occurrence — The  public  are  well  primed  and  I  cannot 
help  flattering  myself  something  might  still  be  effected 
towards  the  accomplishment  of  the  great  object  of  our 
wishes. — Of  one  thing  at  least  I  am  certain  that  it  will 
not  be  your  fault  if  our  country  is  not  benefited  by  my 
exertions  at  this  momentous  juncture. 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS  191 

The  course  of  the  negotiations  may  be  traced  from  the 
following  correspondence. 

Nicholas  Williams  to  James  Goddard,  Salisbury 
Dear  Sir, 

I  am  favor'd  with  your  kind  letter  of  the  25*^  ult** 
and  thank  you  for  your  observations  about  the  House.  I 
had  written  M'^  Boucher  on  that  subject  previous  to  your 
letter  and  have  given  M""  White  of  Lincoln's  Inn  instruc- 
tions to  act  with  him  in  my  behalf. 

Your  kind  attentions  to  my  family  will  not  be  for- 
gotten, and  your  friendly  wishes  for  my  speedy  return  I 
am  equally  thankful  for ;  that  period  I  hope  is  not  far 
distant,  tho'  the  changes  and  commotions  here,  which  you 
have  no  doubt  heard  of,  will  retard  the  progress  I  was 
making  in  the  affairs  with  which  I  am  entrusted.  The 
late  victory  of  the  Patriots  *  I  consider  decisive,  and  the 
Republic  now  established  on  firmer  ground  than  ever; 
therefore  I  hope,  unanimity  amongst  themselves,  and, 
arising  out  of  that,  Peace  with  their  neighbours,  may  be 
looked  for  on  more  probable  grounds  than  heretofore. 
You  and  our  friends  at  Salisbury  will  I  know  be  gratified 
to  hear  that  whatever  party  prevail'd,  M*"  B.  has  ever  been 
held  in  the  same  estimation  and  his  interest  remained 
undiminished,  and  tho'  every  other  Englishman  has 
been  sent  out  of  Paris,  I  remain  with  the  most  positive 
assurance  of  protection  in  secure  possession  of  his  pro- 
perty. This  friendship  has  arisen  from  his  known  abilities 
and  moderation,  and  the  great  encouragement  he  gave  to 
Arts  and  Manufactories  while  he  was  in  the  Country,  and 
might  have  been  made  use  of  on  our  side  the  water  to  the 
most  beneficial  purpose;  but  alas,  personal  enmity  and 
individual  prejudice  have  in  this  particular  been  much 
more  prevalent  than  patriotism  or  sound  policy,  and  the 
real  good  of  the  nation  has  been  sacrificed  to  personal 
prejudices  unworthy  the  Councils  of  a  great  Kingdom. 

I  beg  you  will  present  my  thanks  to  the  Mayor  for  his 
kind  invitation,  and  assure  him  and  all  our  friends  that  I 
very  much  regret  I  cannot  have  the  pleasure  to  be  of 
their  party  the  13*^ ;  I  hope  however  the  time  is  not  far 
♦  The  coup  d'etat  of  18  Fructidor  (September  4). 


192 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


off  when  I  shall  see  them  all  in  perfect  health,  and  that 
we  shall  have  frequent  opportunities  to  more  firmly 
cement  that  friendship  which  it  will  be  my  pride  to 
cultivate. 

I  desire  you  will  present  my  particular  Compliments 
to  M"  Goddard  and  be  assured  of  the  most  friendly 
regard  of 

yours  very  sincerely, 

NICRs  WILLIAMS 

Paris,  9th  Sepf,  1797. 


Nicholas  Williams  to  Richard  Samuel  White, 
10  Lincoln's  Inn,  London 

Paris,  OcV  10'*,  1797. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

The  inclosed  letter  to  M*^  Beckford  being  open  will 
give  you  information  of  my  situation ;  M*^  Beckford  will, 
I  conclude,  consult  you  upon  that  business,  and  if  he 
should  be  at  Fonthill  I  would  recommend  your  going  to 
him  immediately.  If  he  should  determine  on  risking  the 
sum  spoken  of,  you  will  observe  a  mode  must  be  thought 
of  to  supply  me  with  it  to  a  positive  certainty,  very 
different  from  that  of  the  ideal  Credit  Wildman 
obtained  for  me.  The  situation  of  the  two  countries  and 
the  laws  existing  in  both  make  this  a  difficult  matter  to 
arrange  without  considerable  danger;  the  most  safe  and 
certain  method  that  I  can  see,  is,  for  you  to  get  from  a 
Banker  of  known  respectability  in  London  six  Bills  drawn 
by  him  of  60  days  date  for  a  thousand  pounds  each  on  a 
perfect  good  house  at  Hambourg,  these  Bills  must  be 
payable  to  my  order  and  you  will  send  them  by  the 
Messenger  to  me ;  they  will,  you  know,  be  of  no  value  till 
I  have  indorsed  them.  The  London  Banker,  will,  of 
course,  be  careful  to  give  advice  to  his  Correspondent  at 
Hambourg  that  the  Bills,  when  presented,  may  not  fail  of 
being  honored.  In  this  way,  it  may  very  naturally  be 
supposed  that  I  am  transacting  some  business  at  Hambourg 
where  I  want  to  make  these  payments,  and  the  London 
Banker  need  not  know  the  contrary.  There  will  no  trace 
ever  appear  that  the  Bills  have  been  in  this  country  nor 
would  it  be  of  any  consequence  in  this  manner  if  there 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


193 


did  :  Tho'  it  will  not  be  certain  when  those  Bills  are  drawn 
they  will  be  made  use  of,  yet  you  will  naturally  be  obliged 
to  deposit  the  money  to  the  Banker  who  draws  them,  or 
give  him  security  for  the  amount;  and  as  circumstances 
will  not  admit  of  time  to  send  the  Bills  to  Hambourg  for 
acceptance,  care  must  be  taken  that  the  drawer  in  London 
is  known  in  the  Commercial  world  to  be  perfectly  good, 
I  have  well  considered  and  investigated  this  mode  of 
Credit,  and  if  Beckford  should  determine  to  embark 
in  the  business  I  would  strongly  recommend  from  circum- 
stances I  am  acquainted  with,  that  this  only  should  be  the 
manner  adopted.  I  am  the  more  particular  in  detailing  it, 
wishing,  that  if  M''  Beckford  should  decide  upon  making 
the  tryal,  no  deception  or  mistake  in  the  Credit  should 
prevent  my  pursuing  it  to  the  greatest  advantage. 

I  beg  you  will  exert  yourself  to  hasten  the  return  of 
this  Messenger  and  remain, 

D"^  Sir, 

very  sincerely  yours, 

N.  WILLIAMS. 

Be  so  good  as  send  me  some  News-papers  by  the 
messenger,  and  continue  to  send  one  every  day  to  M"^ 
Crowe  at  Dover  for  me,  who  I  shall  write  to  forward  them 
to  me.  It  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  see  an  English 
News-paper  here,  which  would  sometimes  be  of  great  use 
to  me. 

ENCLOSURE 

Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford 

Paris,  Ocr  1797. 

It  is  very  distressing  to  me.  My  Dear  Sir,  to  have  been 
obliged  to  keep  you  so  long  in  suspence  since  my  letter  to 
you  of  the  20*^  Ult°.  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  accom- 
plish the  great  work  I  was  in  hopes  to  have  done  and 
explained  to  you  in  person  before  this  time  ;  many  unfore- 
seen obstacles  have  fallen  in  the  way  which  we  then  had 
no  idea  of.  I  can  do  a  great  deal  here  by  money,  but  I 
cannot  sport  with  your  property  without  a  solid  prop  for 
the  Leaver  I  want  to  work  by  it.  I  have  frequent  inter- 
views with  the  Minister  of  Foreign  affairs ;  and,  had  I 

N 


194 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


power,  I  could  at  this  moment,  as  your  Agent,  make  a 
peace  that  I  think  would  be  very  satisfactory  to  England  ; 
but  it  must  be  done  in  a  very  different  stile  to  that  of  our 
Lord  who  is  returned.  They  demanded  of  him  as  their 
Ultimatum  a  restitution  of  all  conquests  (made  by  the 
English  since  the  commencement  of  the  War)  to  France 
and  its  Allies,  and  as  he  had  not  power  to  comply  with 
this,  he  was  sent  home  to  have  the  resolution  of  his  Court, 
for  which  they  have  consented  to  wait  till  the  16^^  of  the 
present  month,  and  the  French  Negociators  will  not  be 
recalled  from  Lille  till  after  that  period. 

The  Minister  of  Foreign  affairs  has  declared  to  me 
that  they  have  the  greatest  repugnance  to  treat  with  Lord 
Malmsbury,*  but  would  have  as  great  pleasure  to  negociate 
with  you  or  L^  Hellens  t  inviting  you  to  this  Negocia- 
tion,  and  expressing  the  aversion  of  the  Nation  to  L"^ 
Malmsbury  ;  he  will  also  authenticate  by  plain  language 
in  those  letters,  that  I  have  had  frequent  interviews  with 
him  upon  the  subject  of  peace,  and  that  he  has  authorized 
me  to  inform  the  Government  of  England  [of]  the  Pre- 
liminaries of  a  treaty,  which  they  are  ready  to  receive 
either  you  or  L*^  Hellens  to  Negociate  upon  immediately, 
and  speedily  conclude  a  peace  on  liberal  and  honorable 
terms  to  the  both  Nations.  These  Preliminaries  are  ex- 
pressed in  the  paper  N*"  2  inclosed,  the  original  of  which 
is  now  in  the  hands  of  the  Minister,  they  cannot  be  given 
to  me  by  him  in  writing ;  but,  as  I  have  said  before,  he 
will  express  upon  the  letters  which  he  will  give  me,  that  I 
have  had  conferences  with  him  upon  the  subject  of  peace 
and  am  authorized  to  declare  what  the  Preliminaries 
are,  which  they  expect  to  be  the  Basis  of  the  treaty ; 
and  he  will  assure  to  me  upon  his  honor  that  for  one 
Month  after  my  departure  from  Paris  they  shall  not  be 
receded  from,  nor  will  they  in  that  time  attend  to  any 
application,  nor  treat  with  any  person  through  any  other 
channel  but  your  interest :  1  pushed  hard  to  confine  him 
to  you  only,  but  after  a  consultation  at  the  Directory,  that 
could  not  be  complied  with ;  but  as  I  am  to  bring  those 
letters  to  England  open,  L^  Hellens's  need  not  appear 
till  we  are  assured  nothing  can  be  done  by  yours.  It  is 
promised  also  that  I  shall  very  confidentially  have  inter- 

*  James  Harris,  first  Earl  of  Malmesbury. 
f  Alleyne  Fitzherbert,  Baron  St.  Helens. 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


195 


views  with  the  Directory  before  I  go,  who  will  confirm  to 
me  how  desirous  they  are  of  treating  with  you  in  the  most 
friendly  manner. 

As  these  transactions  are,  and  must  be  kept  perfectly 
secret,  and  are  principally  carried  on  by  Secretaries  and 
upper  Clerks  (the  Government  being  supposed  to  know 
nothing  of  the  money  part  of  the  business)  these  Gentlemen 
expect  the  immediate  deposit  of  £6000  on  the  condition 
expressed  in  N°  2,  the  greatest  part  of  which  will  be 
divided  amongst  themselves  and  without  which  nothing 
can  be  done. 

Tho'  I  consider  it  is  hardly  possible  M"^  Pitt  will  refuse 
to  make  peace  on  the  terms  here  offered,  yet  £6000  is  too 
large  a  sum  of  money  for  me  to  risk  without  your  particular 
orders ;  nor  is  it,  I  find,  in  my  power  to  do  so  without  a 
Credit  superior  to  that  which  I  hold,  as  the  letter  of  £3000 
Credit  which  M'' Wildman  obtained  for  me  is  worth  nothing, 
the  House  refusing  to  advance  a  shilling  upon  it ;  nor  can 
M'  Perregaux  at  present  supply  me  with  a  quarter  of  it 
without  the  suspicion  of  being  employed  improperly  by 
England  as  he  is  already  denounced  and  watched  very 
narrowly.  I  have  therefore,  my  Dear  Sir,  thought  it  best 
to  remain  here  and  endeavour  to  keep  this  affair  open  till 
I  can  have  your  answer,  and  have  dispatched  your  old 
Servant  Collin,  who  you  will  be  so  good  as  to  order  to 
return  to  me  with  all  possible  haste  the  moment  you  have 
decided.  It  certainly  is  very  likely  that  in  this  interval 
another  person  may  arrive  from  England  and  the  Nego- 
tiation may  be  renewed ;  but  unless  they  can  get  into  the 
channel  that  I  am  connected  with  and  use  the  private 
means  I  have  laid  down,  it  is  not  likely  they  will  be 
successful.  The  great  point  you  know  we  have  to  procure 
is  the  appointment  of  yourself  to  this  Embassy,  which, 
I  will  undertake  to  say,  may  be  concluded  in  a  week  after 
your  arrival;  and  I  hope  our  rulers  will  not  oppose  it 
after  the  expence  and  infinite  pains  you  have  taken  and 
the  advantages  of  Preliminaries  you  have  obtained  beyond 
those  of  their  Negociator.  But  if  it  should  be  illiberally 
refused  to  you,  and  S^  Hellens  appointed  who,  through 
the  information  you  communicate,  makes  the  peace,  you 
will  have  done  a  Glorious  service  to  your  Country,  which 
they  shall  not  withold  from  the  knowledge  of  all  Europe. 

The  information  (if  possible)  at  present  the  most 


196 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


desirable  on  your  side,  is  to  know  to  a  certainty  if  our 
Cabinet  will  make  peace  upon  the  terms  offered  to  me,  for 
if  that  was  certain,  there  is  no  risk  in  advancing  the 
£6000,  as  it  will  be  repaid  out  of  the  Million,  whoever  may 
be  Negociator ;  but  I  need  not  add  how  necessary  caution 
and  secrecy  in  this  inquiry  is,  for,  if  the  smallest  know- 
ledge was  to  reach  them  of  our  progress  and  by  their  spies 
they  were  to  get  at  the  persons  with  whom  I  am  concerned, 
they  would  no  doubt  by  intrigue  snatch  the  business  out 
of  your  hands  and  take  the  honour  of  it  to  themselves. 
It  may  not  perhaps  be  imprudent  at  last  to  convey  by  a 
proper  person  to  some  of  the  Council,  or  by  yourself  if  you 
think  proper  to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  that  by  the  con- 
nections I  have  made  here  through  your  interest,  overtures 
have  been  made  to  me  which,  if  they  will  authorize  you  to 
encourage,  might  be  conducive  to  the  most  beneficial 
purpose ;  anything  of  this  sort  will  enable  us  to  proceed 
on  sure  grounds.  It  is  proper  for  me  to  add  for  your 
information  {but  which  must  by  no  means  transpire)  that  the 
persons  I  am  concerned  with  are  the  same  who  made 
peace  with  Portugal,  and  in  the  same  way  they  have 
offered  to  proceed  with  me;  but  the  Portuguese  Am- 
bassador (after  the  manner  of  his  country)  having  failed 
to  perform  some  of  his  private  engagements,  they  are 
more  particular  in  binding  me  to  so  large  a  payment  at 
first  than  would  otherwise  have  been  expected.  Indeed  I 
could  not  bring  them  to  hear  of  anything  less  than  Ten 
thousand  pounds  till  a  few  days  since,  when  they  gave  me 
their  Ultimatum  as  above. 

Your  other  concerns  here  are  quite  at  a  stand,  and 
according  to  a  new  Law  since  the  change  of  Government, 
must  remain  so  for  a  fortnight  yet  to  come,  as  every 
person,  without  a  possibility  of  distinction,  that  was  ever 
upon  the  list  of  Emigrants  is  placed  upon  it  again,  and 
good  reasons  must  be  shewn  why  they  were  erased,  before 
it  can  be  confirmed  by  the  Directory ;  according  to  this 
law  a  list  of  all  persons  in  this  situation  is  to  be  placed 
upon  the  Door  of  the  principal  Bureau  of  the  Police  every 
month,  and  in  that  space  of  time  appeal  must  be  made  to 
the  Directory  expressing  the  reasons  which  induced  the 
Department  to  make  the  erasure.  The  former  part  of 
this  process  we  have  already  gone  through  and  nothing 
remains  but  the  time  which  the  form  requires  to  compleat 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


197 


it :  till  then  no  effectual  requisition  can  be  made  of  the 
property  we  have  not  yet  got  possession  of. 

A  greater  rogue  than  Auguste  I  believe  is  not  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth,  he  will  cheat  you  of  everything  if  he 
can,  and  nothing  but  force,  I  see,  will  bring  him  to  any 
sort  of  reason.  He  takes  advantage  of  the  present  situa- 
tion of  affairs,  but  I  am  assured  the  time  is  not  far  oft 
when  1  shall  be  able  to  compel  this  rascal  to  make 
restitution. 

I  have  had  the  favor  of  your  letter  of  the  17*^  Ulr. 
Nothing  could  give  me  greater  pleasure  than  the  account 
of  your  reception  at  Salisbury  which  T  have  heard  of  from 
several  quarters.  The  disposition  of  the  Still's  I  am  per- 
fectly well  acquainted  with ;  but  I  am  rejoiced  that  M" 
Williams's  attention  on  that  day  gave  you  satisfaction. — 

M""  Perregaux  has  undertaken  to  get  good  wine  for 
you  of  the  sorts  you  mention,  which  will  be  sent  to 
England  at  the  same  time  he  is  sending  home  to 
Malmsbury. 

Inclosed  you  will  receive  a  letter  from  Doctor  SchoU. 
It  was  accompanied  by  one  to  me  equally  curious.  He 
must  be  intirely  void  of  judgement  or  observation  to  send 
such  Letters  by  the  post  into  France  at  this  moment  more 
dangerous,  because  more  investigated  in  this  particular, 
than  any  period  heretofore.  His  remarks  both  in  your 
letter  and  mine  regarding  my  long  stay  in  France,  are 
equally  happy  with  his  other  observations,  and  proves  him 
a  man  of  profound  knowledge  and  penetration  ;  the  only 
information  I  was  desirous  of  obtaining  from  him  was  of 
the  Wine  he  had  spoken  to  you  of,  and  how  to  get  the 
Accoustic  he  had  recommended  to  assist  D""  Lettice's 
hearing;  both  of  which,  notwithstanding  my  letter  was 
written  to  him  in  good  French,  he  has  been  totally 
deficient  in. 

My  health  is  by  no  means  good.  I  have  constant 
headache  and  pain  in  the  Stomach,  occasioned  no  doubt 
by  uneasiness  of  mind  and  little  exercise.  I  have  been  so 
much  employed  for  this  nearly  a  week  past  that  I  have  not 
been  outside  the  door.  Suppose  the  great  affair  even  out 
of  question,  you  will  easily  judge  of  my  feelings,  when, 
after  all  my  difficulties  about  your  other  concerns  was  as 
I  thought  just  concluded  satisfactorily,  a  Revolution  takes 
place,  compleatly  overturns  everything  I  had  done,  and 


/ 


198  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

leaves  me,  according  to  the  decrees  which  are  past,  very 
nearly  in  the  same  situation  I  was  three  months  ago  ; 
nay,  in  some  respects  worse  ;  for  every  person  that  was 
ever  upon  the  list  of  Em'  [Emigrants]  must  be  placed  upon 
it  again ;  and,  however  unjust  this  may  be,  nothing  but 
sound  reason  supported  by  the  strongest  interest  can  at 
present  remove  a  single  name.  This  I  am  assured  we  have, 
and  that  all  will  be  compleated  satisfactorily  as  soon  as  the 
forms  will  permit. 

I  sincerely  hope  the  English  Government  will  wisely 
listen  to  reason  and  incline  to  peace,  for  they  may  be 
assured  this  Government  was  never  so  strong  and  active 
as  at  this  moment ;  and  tho'  their  Finances  are  not  in  the 
best  situation,  their  Troops  are  in  the  highest  spirits,  and 
their  preparations  for  the  commencement  of  hostilities  are 
dreadfully  formidable.  Great  indeed  would  be  the  merit 
and  praise  due  to  that  man  who  could  avert  from  mankind 
the  horrid  devastation  that  is  ready  to  overspread  the  face 
of  Europe. 

I  am, 

My  dear  Sir, 

with  sincere  attachment, 
your  obliged  Hble  Servant, 
NICRs  WILLIAMS 


Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford 

My  Dear  Sir, 

I  hope  the  Letters  I  forwarded  to  you  a  few 
days  since  by  a  person  going  to  England,  will  have  reached 
you  in  due  course  before  you  receive  this ;  they  will  give 
you  the  fullest  information  possible  of  your  affairs  here, 
which  cannot  be  changed  for  the  better,  till  I  have  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  from  you. 

The  report  of  the  Lawyers  whom  I  consulted 
regarding  Auguste,  is,  that  we  can  do  nothing  by  him  till 
the  Erasement  is  compleatly  confirmed,  when  there  will 
be  no  difficulty  of  constraining  him  to  embursement. 

I  have  understood  today  that  all  expectation  of  a 
peaceable  nature  thro'  the  former  channel  of  Negociation 
is  totally  at  an  end  nor  does  any  hope  of  that  description 
now  remain  but  through  the  mediation  you  are  acquainted 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


199 


with.  According  to  the  former,  I  have  reason  to  believe 
they  will  persevere  in  having  the  full  restitution  they  have 
demanded ;  but,  by  the  latter,  I  can  venture  to  say,  still 
better  terms  may  be  obtained  than  those  you  are  already 
informed  of.  Had  I  power  at  this  moment  I  am  sensible 
I  could  open  a  communication  of  a  most  desirable  nature, 
for  they  are  in  reality  yet  peaceably  inclined  ;  but  the  pre- 
parations are  so  formidable  and  their  determination  so 
desperate,  that  I  believe  a  very  short  period  will  banish  the 
Olive  branch  from  their  consideration.  From  every  motive 
that  ought  to  have  possession  of  the  breast  of  an  English- 
man, I  sincerely  pray  that  our  Cabinet  will  not  risk  the 
destruction  of  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  most  happy 
Constitution,  on  the  uncertain  termination  of  another 
Campaign. 

I  am  well  acquainted,  my  Dear  Sir,  no  one  will  see 
with  more  just  apprehension  than  yourself  the  portentous 
cloud  that  at  this  moment  overspreads  the  political  horizon 
of  Europe;  and  was  your  power  equal  to  your  will  it 
would  soon  be  dispersed  by  the  sunshine  of  your  bene- 
volence. 1  pray  to  God  our  Governors  may  yet  listen  to 
reason,  and  accept  of  your  interposition,  which  I  am  fully 
convinced  would  at  this  moment  produce  the  most  bene- 
ficial consequences. 

I  need  not  tell  you  what  anxiety  I  shall  feel  till  I  can 
hear  from  you  as  every  hour  is  big  with  events  but  will 
assure  you.  My  Dear  Sir,  I  shall  ever  remain  with  the  most 
sincere  Attachment 

Your  much  obliged 

Humble  Servant, 

[NICHOLS  WILLIAMS.] 

Paris,  Ocr  12'*,  1797. 


Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford 

Paris,  in  the  Temple,  OcV  SS"",  1797. 

Distressing  as  my  situation  is  at  present,  My  Dear  Sir, 
it  is  very  considerably  aggravated  by  a  reflection  of  the  un- 
easiness the  receipt  of  this  letter  will  give  you.  But  as  I 
conceive  it  is  possible  the  account  of  my  Arrestation  may 
reach  England  by  the  News-papers  or  that  you  may  hear 
of  it  by  some  other  channel,  I  thought  it  best  to  give  you 


/ 


200  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

the  information  myself,  lest  it  might  come  to  you  with  a 
worse  aspect  than  it  really  merits. 

Previous  to  the  writing  of  my  last  letters  of  the  10'^  and 
12*^  I  had  been  informed  1  was  denounced  as  an  Agent 
of  the  English  Government  who  came  here  to  distribute 
money  and  otherwise  encourage  a  Counter-Revolution. 
As  I  had  no  concern  with  anything  of  this  nature,  and 
knowing  no  words  nor  actions  of  mine  here  had  any 
tendency  of  this  sort,  I  paid  very  little  attention  to  it, 
beUeving  the  connections  I  had  and  the  circumspection  of 
my  conduct  would,  if  an  examination  was  to  take  place,  be 
a  sufficient  protection  against  the  attempt  of  any  ill  design- 
ing persons ;  nor  can  I  now  have  any  doubt,  but  after  a 
proper  investigation,  justice  will  be  done  me  and  I  shall  be 
soon  at  liberty. 

I  have  been  already  here  five  days,  and  my  papers  have 
been  in  the  possession  of  the  Police  the  same  time,  the 
examination  of  which  does  not  give  me  the  least  apprehen- 
sion, for  I  am  confident  nothing  will  be  found  in  them  that 
can  be  construed  to  have  any  interference  with  the  Govern- 
ment. 

As  I  have  not  been  yet  examined,  my  confinement  is 
very  strict,  no  person  but  Bertie  is  suffered  to  have  com- 
munication with  me ;  nor  can  I,  according  to  the  rigid 
measures  of  the  present  moment,  expect  release  from  any 
interest  or  event  but  the  admitted  proof  of  my  Innocence. 
And  although  I  have  no  apprehension  but  this  will  soon 
appear,  yet  a  reflection  on  the  injustice  I  have  already 
experienced,  makes  me  admit  the  possibility  of  the  con- 
trary. In  that  case,  my  Dear  Sir,  I  am  sure  I  can  with 
confidence  rely  on  your  goodness  for  the  protection  of  a 
family  whose  situation  otherwise  must  be  truly  miserable. 
Professions  now  are  useless,  but  I  may  say,  there  is  not  one 
of  them,  so  far  as  its  imagination  extends,  who  is  not  as 
much  attached  to  you  as  I  am. 

I  have  written  M"  Williams  I  have  been  imprisoned, 
but  am  again  at  liberty.  I  shall  be  much  obliged  by  your 
encouraging  her  in  this  belief,  as  I  am  afraid  the  contrary 
idea  would  almost  be  fatal  to  her ;  and  I  hope  many  days 
will  not  elapse  before  I  shall  be  able  to  confirm  to  you  the 
reality  of  it. 

I  am  told  the  Room  I  am  confined  in  is  the  same  the 
late  unfortunate  King  occupied.    Sir  S.  Smith  is  above 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


201 


me ;  I  hear  him  frequently,  and  we  see  each  other  in  the 
yard,  but  can  have  no  communication  together.  Strong 
Bolts  and  Iron  Bars  are  not  the  most  agreeable  objects, 
but  as  Bertie  is  permitted  to  go  in  and  out,  I  am  as  well 
off  as  can  be  expected  in  a  situation  of  this  sort, 
I  remain,  My  Dear  Sir, 

with  most  sincere  attachment, 
your  very  obliged  Hble  Servant, 

NICH :  WILLIAMS. 

I  am  informed  I  was  denounced  by  two  different 
persons.  I  have  great  suspicion  one  is  M*"  Auguste ;  and 
I  think  I  am  not  mistaken  when  I  conclude  the  other  to 
be  M''  Stohe,  who  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  remember 
fled  from  England  some  time  since  to  avoid  the  Attorney- 
General — I  had  the  honor  to  see  this  Gentleman  once, 
who,  I  learn,  was  offended  because  I  did  not  ask  him  to 
dine  with  me. 


Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford 

Paris,  Hotel  d'Harcourt,  Nov'"  V\  1797. 

I  hasten.  My  Dear  Sir,  to  remove  the  anxiety  my 
letter  from  the  Tower  of  the  Temple  of  the  22^  October, 
has,  I  am  sensible,  occasioned  you.  I  was  an  inhabitant 
of  that  dreary  mansion  twelve  days  while  my  papers  were 
translated,  I  then  went  through  a  very  close  examination 
at  the  Police  and  was  acquitted,  with  these  words  from 
the  Judge  : — "  We  have  thought  it  necessary,  from  a  know- 
ledge of  the  enmity  your  Government  bear  us,  to  examine 
into  the  true  motives  of  your  residence  in  our  country ; 
and  we  are  perfectly  convinced  by  your  papers  and  other 
inquiries,  that,  tho'  M''  Beckford  and  yourself  are  Patriots 
of  your  own  country,  you  are  not  private  enemies  to  this, 
and  by  every  thing  we  can  discover  you  have  either 
written  or  said  regarding  public  affairs,  you  have  shewn 
you  have  had  no  view  but  a  wish  of  being  instrumental  in 
restoring  the  blessing  of  peace  to  the  two  Nations.  We 
therefore  are  sorry  for  the  confinement  you  have  suffered, 
and  you  are  again  at  liberty  to  pursue  the  concerns  that 
brought  you  to  France."    Thus  you  see,  My  Dear  Sir,  I 


/ 


202  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

have  passed  through  a  very  severe  tryal  without  dishonour 
either  to  you  or  myself. 

I  am  now  excessively  anxious  to  hear  from  you  in 
reply  to  my  letters  of  the  10*^  &  12*^  Ult^  I  sincerely 
pray  they  may  have  reached  you  without  accident,  as  I 
consider  you  will  be  thereby  in  possession  of  information 
that  may  lead  you  to  great  exertions  towards  restoring  a 
general  peace  and  happiness  to  Europe. 

I  shall  again  enter  into  your  business,  which  was  the 
occasion  of  my  coming  to  this  country;  and,  as  the 
number  of  my  friends  are  rather  increased  than  lessened 
by  the  ordeal  I  have  gone  through,  I  hope  I  shall  yet 
make  a  successful  termination  of  my  mission  and  soon 
return,  to  my  country,  to  you,  and  to  my  family. 
I  remain, 
My  Dear  Sir, 

with  most  sincere  attachment, 
your  obliged  Hble  Ser*, 

[N.  WILLIAMS.] 


Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford 

It  is  now,  My  Dear  Sir,  near  two  months  since  I  have 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  you,  the  reason  of  which 
I  cannot  imagine ;  I  have  written  you  in  that  time  six 
letters,  some  of  them  I  conceive  of  more  than  ordinary 
import  to  our  Nation ;  one  in  particular  of  the  10^^ 
October  I  sent  by  your  old  servant  Collin,  and  it  was  full 
of  that  sort  of  information  which  1  warmly  hoped  would 
have  enabled  you  to  have  been  very  instrumental  in 
restoring  the  blessing  of  peace  to  our  country.  I  know 
they  were  all  safely  sent  from  Calais  and  I  have  reason  to 
believe  they  were  as  safely  landed  at  Dover  ;  if  you  have 
not  received  them,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  sort  of 
policy  could  induce  the  Post- Office  or  Government  to 
withhold  them  from  you  ;  but  if  that  should  be  the  case, 
I  now  sincerely  hope  they  will  benefit  by  the  information, 
and  embrace  the  opportunity  therein  pointed  out,  to  avert 
the  dreadful  calamity  which  I  fear  will  otherwise  very 
shortly  be  at  their  door.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the 
peace  with  the  Emperor  will  enable  the  enemy  to  seriously 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


203 


menace  us  with,  if  not  effect,  the  worst  of  evils ;  and  I 
know  they  are  determined  to  collect  their  utmost  force  for 
one  decisive  enterprise.  What,  indeed,  may  not  be  ex- 
pected from  an  army  so  numerous,  and  accustomed  to 
victory,  and  whose  leaders  never  suffer  the  probable  loss 
of  men  to  deter  them  from  any  project  they  have  once 
resolved  upon  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  superiority  of  our 
Fleets  we  have  seen  the  possibility  of  evading  their  dili- 
gence. 

By  the  deprivation  of  communication,  I  have  suffered, 
with  you,  with  my  family  and  my  other  friends,  I  conclude 
all  my  letters  are  subject  to  public  investigation :  be  it  so, 
however  hurtful  this  is  to  my  feelings  I  must  bear  it,  and, 
I  am  somewhat  consoled  by  the  reflection  that  I  have 
under  your  influence,  in  that  case,  conveyed  much  positive 
and  useful  intelligence  that  might  have  been  depended 
upon  and  converted  to  the  best  of  purposes. 

I  yet  have  pride  that  I  am  an  Englishman,  and  a  com- 
parison of  our  Constitution  with  that  of  others  increases 
my  partiality.  You  know  I  am  as  little  subject  to  alarm 
as  any  man,  yet  I  seriously  fear  our  Ministers  are  going 
too  far,  and  if  the  same  system  is  persisted  in,  dreadful  I 
am  persuaded  will  be  the  overthrow :  with  this  conviction, 
how  much  do  I  deplore  that  illiberal  and  unjust  prejudice 
by  which  you  are  deprived  the  power  of  rendering  those 
essential  services  to  your  country  which  I  am  sensible 
cannot  be  accomplished  in  that  degree  by  any  other 
man. 

You  will  easily  conceive,  my  Dear  Sir,  how  distressing 
my  situation  has  been  for  some  time ;  the  changes  that 
have  taken  place  here,  the  anxiety  of  hearing  from  you 
and  the  difficulty  of  conveying  that  sort  of  information 
which  I  hoped  would  be  beneficial,  without  incuring 
censure  from  one  side  or  the  other,  have  been  truly 
perplexing.  I  have  undergone  a  severe  scrutiny  on  this 
side  without  dishonour ;  and  I  have  too  high  opinion  of 
the  equitable  justice  of  my  country  to  doubt  their  appro- 
bation of  my  conduct  if  ever  it  should  be  thought  proper 
to  bring  it  before  them. 

Your  private  affairs  here  are  now  in  that  train  which 
cannot  be  hastened  by  any  exertion  in  my  power,  and  it 
will  yet  be  five  or  six  weeks  before  a  final  settlement  can 
be  made.    I  therefore  only  wait  to  hear  from  you,  when. 


/ 


204  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

if  you  communicate  nothing  to  the  contrary,  I  shall 
immediately  return. 

I  remain,  My  Dear  Sir, 
Nov'  12'*  1797        with  the  sincerest  attachment, 
[Paris]  your  obliged  Hble  Ser* 

[N.  WILLIAMS.] 


G.  H.  Nagel  to  Nicholas  Williams,  at  Calais 

Paris,  17'"^  Novb^,  1797. 

Dear  Sir, 

I  received  Your  esteemed  favour  of  the  14*^  instant, 
which  informs  me  of  Your  safe  arrival  at  Calais  and  of 
Your  being  well. 

I  have  only  to  answer  on  Your  Remarks,  that  You 
have  not  been  deceived  in  the  Business  You  know  of. 
The  Conditions  proposed  are  sincere,  and  every  thing 
should  have  soon  been  agreed,  if  it  had  been  in  Your 
power  to  finish.  This  is  still  the  case;  though  ones 
friend,  who  returns  You  his  Compliments,  assured  me 
again  to  day,  that  he  would  answer  for  almost  every 
consequence,  provided  You  hasten  Yourself  to  get  the 
other  side  of  the  water,  in  order  to  obtain  those  pieces, 
with  which  You  did  flatter  Yourself  before  You  left 
Paris.  I  beseech  You  therefore  to  make  every  haste 
possible;  then  as  long  as  there  is  no  appearance  and 
still  less  certitude  that  You  will  be  enabled  to  make  real 
proposals.  You  cannot  pretend  that  the  offers,  which  could 
be  made  from  other  hands,  shall  absolutely  be  refused  here. 
However  I  can  assure  You,  that  whatever  they  may  have 
told  You  about  a  Messenger  from  Leg  [?  England]  no  real 
negociation  have  yet  begun. 

As  to  us  and  all  those  who  are,  and  who  have  been 
concerned  in  this  affair.  You  may  depend  that  everything 
shall  and  will  be  done,  which  can  contribute  to  make 
Your  return  probable  before  long,  and  we  shall  do  every- 
thing possible,  in  order  that  no  other  but  You  shall  have 
the  merit  to  conclude  a  final  arrangement. 

•  ?T  Yours  sincerely 

M'^  Dubois  presents  You  q  ^  nagel. 

his  compliments  and  hopes 

You  will  have  received  the  Letters  he  brought  over  and 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


205 


sent  to  You  at  Calais;  he  delivred  the  books  to  M"" 
Perregaux,  but  did  not  write  You  by  fear  to  compromise 
You. 

Beekford  evidently  took  a  keen  interest  in  his  agent's 
attempts  to  forward  these  negotiations  for  peace,  and 
the  neglect  of  which  Williams  speaks  was  probably  due, 
not  to  the  fact  that  he  did  not  write,  but  that  the  corre- 
spondence coming  from  Paris  through  the  ordinary  channels 
may  have  been  delayed  by  the  censor.  Williams's  efforts 
at  this  time  had  been  so  far  crowned  with  success  that  he 
was  able  to  send  his  employer  a  "  Note  of  the  Terms  "  that 
would  be  acceptable  to  France  as  offering  a  basis  for 
negotiation. 

The  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  be  ceded  to  the  English, 
who  are  to  continue  to  hold  Gibraltar  and  all  other  pos- 
sessions they  had  before  the  War,  and  the  French  to  have 
no  interference  with  the  limitation  of  their  Navy  nor 
Armies. 

England  to  restore  to  the  French  and  their  Allies 
(Spain  and  Holland)  every  other  Territorial  conquest  it 
has  made  in  the  present  war.  France  will  immediately 
receive  from  England  an  Ambassador,  who  is  to  consider 
these  as  the  Preliminaries,  and  who  will  arrange  and  settle 
with  a  Negociator  on  this  side,  every  difficulty  that  may 
arise,  and  endeavour  to  conclude  between  the  Nations,  a 
Treaty  of  Amity  and  Friendship. — 

Upon  receipt  of  this  "  Note "  Beekford  thought  the 
matter  sufficiently  far  advanced  for  him  to  approach 
the  Duke  of  Portland.  Why  he  should  have  written  to 
the  Duke,  who  was  at  the  Home  Office,  rather  than 
the  Foreign  Secretary,  can  only  be  explained  on  the 
assumption  that  he  was  personally  acquainted  with  the 
former. 


/ 


206  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

William  Beckford  to  the  Duke  of  Portland 

Grosvenor  Square,  [London], 
:  Wednesday,  November  28th,  1797. 

My  Lord, 

Having,  by  a  channel  to  myself  perfectly  authentic, 
been  given  to  understand,  that  the  French  Government, 
so  lately  as  the  9th  and  12th  October,  were  disposed  to 
open  a  new  Negotiation  for  Peace,  and  finding  from  the 
Declaration  of  our  Government,  made  public  just  after 
the  time  my  Intelligence  was  allowed  to  reach  me,  that  the 
Basis,  on  which  the  French  offered  to  commence  another 
Treaty,  was  much  more  advantageous  for  Eng^*^  than  that 
of  the  last  Negotiation,  and  such  a  one  as  would  probably 
be  thought  honourable  by  our  Country  at  large,  I  hastened 
to  Town,  on  the  general  appearance  of  the  Declaration, 
in  order  to  impart  to  his  Majesty's  Ministry  the  Communi- 
cations which  I  possess.  But  no  sooner  had  I,  on  my 
arrival,  finished  a  Letter,  in  which  I  meant  to  convey 
them  than  I  received  an  Account  dated  the  22*^  Ult :,  from 
Mr.  Williams,  my  Agent  at  Paris,  thro'  whose  hands  had 
passed  the  Communications  alluded  to,  that  his  Papers 
were  seized  and  himself,  upon  some  secret  and  false  accu- 
sation, was  put  under  Confinement  by  Order  of  the  French 
Government. — Yesterday,  my  Lord,  in  a  Letter  from 
Paris  of  the  i^*  Inst :  he  acquaints  me,  that,  as  soon  as  his 
Papers  had  been  translated  and  investigated,  and  he  him- 
self had  undergone  a  close  Examination,  he  was  very 
honourably  acquitted  of  the  Charges  invented  against  him, 
and  immediately  set  at  Liberty  with  permission  to  pro- 
secute the  Concerns,  which  had  brought  him  to  France. 

As  there  is  the  strongest  reason  to  believe,  that  Copies 
of  all  that  has  been  communicated  to  me,  relatively  to 
the  Basis  for  a  new  Treaty,  had  appeared  amongst  his 
papers,  and  as  he  mentions  not  the  slightest  disavowal, 
on  the  part  of  the  French  Government,  of  anything  which 
had  passed  through  his  Hands  of  a  public  Concern,  I  think 
it  my  Duty,  without  further  Delay,  to  communicate  to 
your  Grace  the  new  Basis  or  preliminary  Terms  con- 
fidentially proposed  thro'  my  Agent. 

They  are  precisely  as  follows — 

"  That  England  shall  remain  in  the  possession  of  the 


FREISICH  NEGOTIATIONS 


207 


Cape  of  Good  Hope  and  Gibraltar  and  be  undisturbed  in 
the  Limitation  of  her  Fleets  and  Armies,  on  consideration 
that  England  gives  up  all  other  Territorial  Conquests, 
made  in  the  present  War,  to  France  and  her  Allies." 

I  find  Encouragement,  moreover,  held  out  in  my 
papers,  that  though  the  preliminaries  above  are  to  be  con- 
sidered as  the  Basis  of  the  Treaty,  the  French  Minister 
will  upon  certain  conditions,  give  Hopes,  that  something 
more  favourable  will  be  complied  with. 

I  am  in  possession  of  some  other  Circumstances  of 
very  considerable  moment,  closely  connected  with  the 
above  Statement,  which,  I  ask  the  Honour  of  a  personal 
Interview  with  your  Grace,  in  order  to  communicate. 

As  it  appears  from  various  Quarters,  that  M"^  Williams, 
during  a  residence  of  Five  Months  at  Paris,  has,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  Days  which  false  Suspicions  had 
clouded,  conducted  himself  in  a  manner  to  obtain  extra- 
ordinary Consideration,  Esteem  and  Confidence  with  the 
Directory,  with  two  successive  Ministers  of  foreign  Affairs 
and  several  Members  of  the  Councils,  and  that  no  English- 
man in  France  has  for  some  time  been  treated  with  any 
comparable  Degree  of  Privilege  or  Respect,  I  submit  it  to 
your  Grace  and  his  Majesty's  Ministers,  whether,  all  Cir- 
cumstances considered,  his  Services  may  not  be  rendered 
useful  to  Government  in  the  present  aweful  Crisis.  To 
obtain  all  the  requisite  Authenticity  to  the  Basis  above 
stated,  should  his  Majesty's  Ministers  think  it  expedient 
to  take  any  steps,  upon  my  Communication,  towards  a  new 
Treaty,  it  only  remains,  that  they  give  their  sanction  to  a 
Deposit  of  six  thousand  pounds,  with  certain  persons  at 
Paris,  connected  with  the  French  Government.  I  am  so 
intirely  convinced  of  the  Sincerity  of  these  Overtures,  that 
I  am  ready,  without  Delay  and  at  my  own  risk,  if  any 
can  be  supposed,  to  advance  the  Deposit  in  question  with 
the  consent  of  our  Government  formally  and  explicitly 
given. 

I  have  the  Honour 

&cc.  &;c.  &c.  ... 
His  Grace  WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

The  Duke  of  Portland. 

Beckford's  suggestion  was  not  cavalierly  dismissed,  for, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  second  of  the  ''Questions  to 


/ 


208  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Council "  printed  below,  the  matter  was  put  before  Pitt, 
presumably  by  the  Duke  of  Portland.  Indeed,  these 
"  Minutes  for  Recollection,"  drawn  up  by  Beckford  with 
his  own  hand,  suggest  that  the  ministers  desired  further 
information,  or  were  at  least  willing  to  consider  it. 

MINUTES  FOR  RECOLLECTION 

1.  The  Minister  s  Note— 8*^  Vendemiare  i.e.  29*^  Sep^ 

2.  Mr.  Williams's  No  2  of  Oct  5'\  together  with  all 
Nagel's  Letters  and  Mr.  Beckford's,  to  the  Duke  of  Port- 
land and  M^  Pitt. 

3.  The  Order  of  shutting  M'^  W.  up  at  the  Temple. 

4.  Minister's  Office  with  Lord  M. — Correspondence. 

5.  Sight  of  M''  W's  Papers  relative  to  Correspondence 
with  M""  Beckford  on  the  Overtures,  &c.,  by  the  Police  at 
Paris  without  their  disclaiming  anything  which  appear'd  in 
them  on  that  Subject  of  Peace. 

6.  The  honourable  Declaration  in  M'  W's  favour  when 
liberated  from  the  Temple. 

7.  The  different  Visits  of  M^  W.  to  the  Minister— The 
confidential  Conversation  with  him. 

8.  Access  to  the  Minister  allowed  whenever  he  should 
judge  necessary  to  demand  it. 

9.  The  Permission  for  M''  W's  continuing  in  Paris  and 
going  anywhere  he  pleased  when  all  other  Englishmen 
were  obliged  to  be  at  ten  Leagues  Distance. 

10.  His  continual  Communication  and  Intercourse 
with  the  first  and  most  confidential  Secretary  of  the 
Minister  and  some  of  those  of  the  Directory. 

11.  His  personal  Acquaintance  with  Albert  Bartlemy 
and  Thevellraye  &c.  The  Confidence  of  the  Former  and 
great  Civilities  of  the  latter. 

12.  Mr.  W.  must  authenticate  the  Disposition  of 
France  to  Peace  up  to  the  17th — it  having  been  declared 
to  have  continued  so  long  at  least  in  the  Letter  to  Lord 
Thurlow. 

QUESTIONS  TO  COUNCIL 

1.  Can  the  Statement,  if  published,  implicate  Mr.  B  

with  the  Fr :  Corresp  :  Bill  ?  or  any  other  Law  ? 

2.  Will  not  the  Duke  of  P's  and  M'  Pitt's  having  cor- 
responded with  M'  Beckford  on  the  subject  of  the  Letters 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS  209 


from  France,  as  they  related  to  Peace,  prevent  their  taking 
any  steps  against  him,  if  the  above  Bill  would  otherwise 
authorize  them  ?    not  to  mention  their  passport  for 
Williams'  going  to  France. 

3.  Is  not  their  conduct  so  far  a  Sanction  to  M'  B's  and 
M''  Williams'  Proceedings  ? 

4.  Can  the  Correspondence  with  France  between 
M''  W.  and  certain  Secretaries  be  Safely  Continued 
without  Ministerial  Sanction  and  should  it  inform  the 
Continuance  of  the  same  good  disposition  to  negotiate  ? 

At  this  time  Nicholas  Williams  came  to  London, 
probably  summoned  by  Beckford  so  as  to  be  at  hand  if 
first-hand  evidence  of  the  conversation  of  the  French 
ministers  should  be  required  by  the  Duke  of  Portland  or 
Pitt.  Williams  apparently  arranged  with  Nagel  to 
represent  him  in  his  absence. 

G.  H.  Nagel,  at  Paris,  to  Nicholas  Williams,  at 
Mr.  Beckford's,  Grosvenor  Square,  London 

Paris,  1*^.  Bech''  1797. 

Sir, 

I  have  just  now  received  Your  esteemed  favour  of 
the  28*^  Ult%  and  have  not  had  time  to  see  the  Parties.  I 
can  however  assure  You  the  matter  is  still  open  as  when 
You  was  here,  but  You  know  the  conditions,  on  which 
You  was  to  have  the  papers  You  ask  for,  and  which  were 
promised  to  You :  these  not  being  fulfilled,  they  cannot 
be  sent  You  at  present.  I  would,  therefore,  advise  Your 
sounding  the  parties  with  You,  and  if  you  see  a  probability 
of  Success,  procure  immediately  the  means  of  fulfilling 
Your  Engagement ;  and  I  will  answer  for  it  that  on  Your 
return  here.  You  shall  be  furnished  with  every  paper 
necessary  to  convince  the  Parties  with  You  [of]  the  reality 
of  the  transaction.  I  repeat  to  You  that  the  parties  here 
would  be  glad  to  see  You  again  to  settle  this  business,  and 
if  any  other  person  should  be  appointed  by  Your  Principals, 
it  would  be  well,  You  accompanied  him.  You  shall  soon 
hear  from  me  again,  and  in  expectation  of  Your  speedy 

o 


/ 


210  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

answer  with  Your  sentiments,  and  wishing  You  all  success, 
I  remain  truly, 

D"^  Sir, 

M""  Hofmann  received  y''        Your  very  hble  S^*' 
Letter  and  the  books,  he  G.  H.  NAGEL. 

will  leave  this  in  a  fortnight. 

With  the  following  letter  the  correspondence  concluded. 

Nicholas  Williams,  at  London,  to  William  Beck- 
ford,  at  Fonthill 

My  Dear  Sir, 

Inclosed  I  send  you  a  copy  of  a  note  I  received 
from  M'  Pitt  last  evening,  by  which  you  will  see  they  are 
resolved  to  have  no  communication  upon  this  subject  and 
are  undoubtedly  obstinately  bent  on  carrying  on  the  War 
till  they  are  compleatly  blown  up.  The  overtures  that 
have  been  made  to  Government  through  you  are  talked 
very  generally  of,  and  on  the  subject  of  the  Assessed 
Taxes  there  seems  to  be  but  one  opinion,  that  they  will 
create  the  greatest  disturbance  and  cannot  be  collected. 

As  I  have  received  this  note  from  M''  Pitt  I  conceive 
it  likely  you  will  alter  the  Paragraph  sent  me  for  the 
papers  by  Doctor  I^ettice;  though  I  have  but  a  very 
slight  opinion  of  the  utility  of  anything  that  can  be  put 
into  the  papers  upon  this  subject  at  present  and  believe 
that  the  disorders  a  public  knowledge  of  the  truth  might 
occasion  would  lead  to  that  violence  which  might  ultimately 
be  as  injurious  to  you  as  any  one,  yet  I  think  the  observa- 
tions that  have  lately  been  made  in  several  of  the  papers, 
as  well  as  one  in  the  Times  of  today,  calls  for  some  sort 
of  reply  couched  in  careful  but  positive  terms  ;  and  I 
think  if  D''  Lettice  was  to  get  this  done  through  the 
channel  of  M''  Ja^  Goddard  (who  is  very  warm  upon  the 
subject  and  may  be  trusted)  it  will  find  its  way  better  than 
through  any  method  I  can  take  here,  he  has  told  me  he 
has  no  difficulty  with  any  of  the  Editors — 

As  soon  as  this  bustle  of  S*  Paul's  is  over  (for  nothing 
is  to  be  done  in  any  way  till  then)  I  shall  endeavour  to 
see  M''  Baldwin,  converse  with  others  here  as  much  as  I 
can,  and  try  to  bring  M'  Wyatt  with  me  to  Fonthill  as 


FRENCH  NEGOTIATIONS 


211 


soon  as  possible ;  but  as  I  am  told  he  cannot  quit  London 
sooner  than  Thursday  or  Friday  I  shall  hope  to  hear  from 
you  any  other  determination  you  may  make. — 
I  remain.  My  Dear  Sir, 

with  the  sincerest  attachment, 
Grosvenor  Sqr.,        your  obliged  Hble  Ser*' 
Dec"-  \m,  1797.  NICH^  WILLIAMS, 


ENCLOSURE 
William  Pitt  to  Nicholas  Williams 

Downing  Street, 
Bee"-  17  th,  1797. 

Pitt  presents  his  compliments  to  M""  Williams.  He 
has  received  his  Note  inclosing  a  letter  from  Beckford, 
but  as  he  does  not  think  any  advantage  likely  to  arise  from 
the  Communication  proposed,  He  will  not  give  M""  Wil- 
liams the  trouble  of  calling  on  him  ;  and  begs  the  favour  of 
him  to  convey  the  Contents  of  this  Note  to  M''  Beckford. — 

As  a  postscript  to  the  correspondence  concerning  these 
abortive  negotiations  may  be  given  a  letter  from  Beckford's 
"  sister." 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hervey  to  William  Beckford 

Acton,  Dec.  22,  1797. 

The  deplorable  state  of  the  Nation  seems  a  matter  of 
great  indifference  to  them  [the  Ministers],  since  they 
obstinately  reject  all  pacific  propositions.  Were  they 
alone  to  suffer  by  this  conduct,  I  should  rejoice  at  their 
folly  and  wickedness,  but  alas !  it  will  most  probably 
involve  the  whole  Nation  in  ruin.  Experience  ought  to 
have  taught  them,  that,  however  triumphant  we  may  be 
at  Sea,  we  can  do  nothing  by  Land,  and  a  tedious  defen- 
sive War  cannot  fail  of  totally  destroying  our  shaken 
Finances,  for  the  plausible  statement  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Bank  cannot  disguise  the  fatal  Truth.  Shortly,  I  fear,  it 
will  burst  on  the  world,  and  then  these  furious  advocates 
of  War  will  be  the  first  Victims  of  an  enraged,  deluded 


212 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


and  ruined  People.  It  would,  however,  give  me  some 
comfort  to  hear,  that  you  who  have  acted  so  nobly,  wisely, 
and  generously  on  this  occasion,  were  likely  to  receive 
more  solid  tokens  of  acknowledgment,  than  mere  words. 
If  they  had  been  wise,  they  should  at  least  have  tried  to 
pacify  your  displeasure,  and  to  prevent  the  disagreeable 
discoveries  you  have  in  your  power  to  make.  They  might 
have  done  this,  by  candidly  stating  their  objections  to  an 
Immediate  Peace,  giving  you  some  hints  of  their  future 
plans,  requesting  your  assistance  at  a  future,  and  in  their 
opinion  more  convenient  moment ;  and  thus  to  prove 
their  sense  of  your  patriotic  behaviour,  and  the  important 
service  you  were  ready  to  do  them,  bestow  upon  you  such 
a  mark  of  favour  as  you  could  with  honour  have  accepted. 
But  as  they  never  act  as  they  ought  to  do  on  any  occasion, 
there  is  no  use  in  saying  more  about  them.  How  inter- 
esting it  must  be  to  hear  Williams's  relation  of  the  state 
of  Paris  !  and  of  all  the  extraordinary  and  important  events 
which  he  has  witnessed  during  his  residence  there!  I  long 
to  hear  of  his  arrival. 


CHAPTER  XI 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 

The  Fonthill  House,  commonly  supposed  to  have  been 
designed  by  Inigo  Jones,  which  Alderman  Beckford  pur- 
chased, had  been  for  generations  the  home  of  the  Mervyns, 
with  whom  the  new  proprietor  claimed  kindred  through 
his  wife.  The  mansion  was  burnt  down  in  1755,  and  when 
the  news  was  told  to  the  Alderman,  he  replied,  with 
delightful  calmness  :  "  Well,  we  must  build  it  up  again." 
The  new  structure  erected  on  the  site  was  one  of  the 
finest  in  England:  the  main  building  had  four  stories, 
with  wings  of  two  stories  each,  connected  by  corridors  of 
the  fine  freestone  found  on  the  estate ;  and  there  was  a 
bold  portico  entrance  upon  a  rustic  basement,  having  two 
flights  of  steps  to  the  entrance  hall,  which  was  one  of  the 
largest  in  the  kingdom,  being  eighty-five  feet  by  thirty- 
eight  broad,  vaulted,  and  supported  by  strong  stone  piers. 
The  apartments  were  numerous  and  well  proportioned,  and 
furnished  in  the  most  costly  style,  all  having  valuable 
marbles,  statuary,  pictures,  and  plate;  the  entire  con- 
tents of  one  large  room  had  been  imported  from  the  east. 
The  arrangement  of  the  valuable  works  of  art  before  the 
younger  Beckford  came  to  live  there  permanently,  how- 
ever, apparently  left  much  to  be  desired.  "  Today  we  have 
been  to  see  Mr.  Beckford's  Fonthill,"  the  Hon.  Mrs. 
Boscawen  wrote  to  Mrs.  Delany,  on  September  25,  1783, 
"  where  you  wou'd  have  been  provok'd  to  see  fine  Titians 
pell  mell  with  daubings  of  Capali;  or,  in  sea  phrase, 

213 


214  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


*  alongside  of  them,'  the  mixture  of  good  and  bad  pictures 
was  hideous y  * 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  younger  Beckford 
spent  some  years  of  his  minority  at  Fonthill,  and  that  the 
coming-of-age  festivities  were  held  there ;  but  the  place 
does  not  seem  to  have  attracted  him  in  those  days,  for  it 
did  not  occur  to  him  to  settle  there  until,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-four,  he  began  to  weary  of  incessant  travel.  His 
intention  to  live  at  Fonthill  is  first  indicated  in  a  letter  to 
his  architect.  , 

William  Beckford  to  James  Wyatt 

Lisbon,  lOth  April,  1794. 

My  dear  Sir, 

Relying  upon  the  very  obliging  attention  you  have 
ever  shown  me,  I  trouble  you  with  the  enclosed  plan,  and 
should  esteem  it  a  particular  favour  if  you  would  take  it 
into  your  immediate  consideration  and,  if  possible,  return 
a  sketch  by  the  first  mail. 

My  appetite  for  humouring  St.  Anthony,  you  see,  is 
still  so  keen  that  I  cannot  live  without  a  little  tid-bit  of  a 
sanctuary  to  stay  my  stomach  till  the  moment  arrives 
when,  by  the  permission  of  Providence  and  Mr.  Wildman, 
I  may  carry  your  magnificent  plan  for  the  Chapel  upon 
Stop's  Beacon  into  execution. 

My  projects  here  are  more  confined.  I  want  a  new 
oratory,  a  sort  of  tabernacle  with  curtains  and  lamps  and 
two  candelabra  and  6  altar  candlesticks.  All  these  holy 
implements  may  be  made  in  Portugal  at  a  very  trifling 
expense — the  lamps  of  bronze  with  the  candelabra  of 
wood — provided  you  will  settle  the  proportion  and  design. 
As  I  have  some  beautiful  straw-coloured  silk  ready, 
I  have  thought  of  hanging  round  the  whole  room  with 
curtains  of  these  materials.  The  recess,  I  rather  think, 
should  be  of  another  colour,  perhaps  lilac  ;  but  upon  this 
also  I  beg  your  advice. 

You  will  receive  exact  dimensions  of  the  space  allotted 
for  this  good  work,  beyond  which  I  would  not  wish  to 

*  "  Life  and  Correspondence  of  Mrs.  Delany/'  Second  Series, 
vol.  iii.  p.  141. 


(13 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


215 


stretch  an  inch — Mr.  Wildman  having  inspired  me  with 
such  a  terror  of  laying  out  money  and  such  an  apprehen- 
sion of  ruin,  that  I  have  constantly  the  fear  of  600,000 
emancipated,  black,  yellow,  and  mezzotint  French  slaves 
before  my  eyes.  With  so  hopeless  an  alarm  I  cannot 
venture  to  serve  St.  Anthony  so  splendidly  as  I  should  wish. 
But  good  taste  is  much  cheaper  than  bad  when  once  the 
size  and  dimensions  are  settled ;  and,  therefore,  with  the 
purest  conscience  I  apply  for  your  assistance. 

It  will  give  me  great  satisfaction  to  learn  from  your- 
self that  you  are  well  and  happy  in  the  turn  which  English 
politics  seem  to  have  taken. 

Shortly  after  this  letter  was  written,  Beckford  came 
to  England,  and  went  to  stay  at  his  country  seat,  where 
almost  at  once  he  became  on  bad  terms  with  his  neigh- 
bours. Here  was  a  millionaire  country  gentleman,  who 
showed  no  inclination  to  be  sociable,  who  did  not  entertain 
or  accept  invitations  to  the  entertainments  of  others, 
but  actually  preferred  books  and  pictures  to  dinners  and 
balls !  This  the  worthy  squires,  who  had  not  an  idea 
beyond  horses  and  dogs,  food  and  drink,  and  farming, 
could  not  understand  :  but  they  were  soon  to  realise  that 
in  their  midst  was  a  man,  who  not  only  would  not  sub- 
scribe to  the  hunt,  but  forbade  them  to  ride  over  his 
estates  !  It  was,  of  course,  easy  enough  to  disregard  this 
injunction,  and  they  laughed  as  they  did  so,  for  they  could 
not  see  how  Beckford  could  enforce  his  wish.  They 
reckoned  without  their  host,  however.  Beckford  did  not 
laugh  :  he  gave  orders  that  a  wall  twelve  feet  high  should 
be  built  within  a  year  to  encircle  his  lands,  a  wall  seven 
or  eight  miles  in  extent ;  and  he  went  abroad  while  this 
was  being  done.  "  Some  people  say  that  I  built  the  wall 
before  I  began  the  house,  to  cut  myself  wholly  off  from 
mankind.  Why,  I  had  always  one,  sometimes  two, 
hundred  workmen  with  me.  I  built  the  wall  because 
I  would  not  have  my  grounds  intruded  upon  by  sportsmen. 
In  vain  were  they  warned  off.    Your  country  gentlemen 


216 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


will  transport  a  pauper  for  taking  a  few  berries  from  a 
hedge,  which  they  will  break  down  without  ceremony. 
They  will  take  no  denial  when  they  go  hunting  in  their 
red  jackets,  to  excruciate  to  death  a  poor  hare.  I  found 
remonstrances  vain,  so  I  built  the  wall  to  exclude  them. 
I  never  suffer  an  animal  to  be  killed,  but  through  necessity. 
Early  in  life  I  gave  up  shooting  because  I  consider  we 
have  no  right  to  murder  animals  for  sport.  I  am  fond  of 
animals.  The  birds  in  the  plantations  of  Fonthill  seemed 
to  know  me — they  continued  their  songs  as  I  rode  close 
to  them — the  very  hares  grew  bold.  It  is  exactly  what 
I  wished." 

Beckford's  protest  was  effectual :  not  the  most  gallant 
horseman  nor  the  most  fiery  steed  can  take  a  twelve  foot 
wall ;  but  the  relations  that  from  the  first  had  been  strained, 
now  became  those  of  declared  enmity  on  the  part  of  the 
neighbouring  gentry.  Nothing  apparently  was  too  bad 
to  be  said  of  the  man  who  interfered  with  sport,  the  old 
slanders  were  revived,  and  when  Beckford  returned  to 
Fonthill,  the  most  damaging  statements  were  circulated 
concerning  his  mode  of  life,  which  was  represented  as  in 
the  highest  degree  extravagant  and  vicious.  The  accounts 
of  his  seclusion  have,  owing  to  these  malicious  reports, 
been  grossly  exaggerated,  and  some  of  the  accusations 
have  been  repeated  to  this  day.  It  is,  however,  true  that 
when  Beckford  was  building  the  Abbey  he  would  not 
permit  the  intrusion  of  curious  strangers,  and  this  rule  he 
was  compelled  to  make  by  the  interest  excited  by  his 
operations,  which  brought  him  every  day  a  trayful  of 
"  applications  to  view." 

William  Beckford  to  the  Honble.  Colonel  Murray 
Sir, 

I  owe  you  some  Apology  for  not  having  immediately 
answered  your  very  polite  Letter.  Being  absent  at  the 
Time  in  a  distant  part  of  this  place  I  was  obliged  to 
delay  it. 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


217 


The  great  number  of  Persons  generally  employed  upon 
my  Grounds  makes  the  vigorous  Observance  of  Rules 
imposed  upon  them  absolutely  necessary.  I  cannot  there- 
fore retract  the  Order  I  have  given  for  the  dismission  of 
the  Men  concerned  in  this  violation  of  their  Duty. 

You,  Sir,  placed  in  a  distinguished  Post  in  the  Army, 
cannot  be  but  peculiarly  aware  of  the  Value  and  Necessity 
of  strict  Discipline,  and  must,  of  course,  be  convinced  that 
Order  cannot  possibly  be  preserved  among  the  lower 
Classes  but  by  the  severest  requisition  of  their  Duty  and 
exemplary  marks  of  displeasure  upon  the  infringement. 

I  am  sorry  to  add  that  this  Neighbourhood,  notwith- 
standing all  my  Efforts  in  its  behalf,  furnishes  such 
repeated  instances  of  neglect  and  irregularity,  that  1  find 
myself  compelled  by  these  disagreeable  circumstances  to 
refuse  a  request,  so  full  of  Humanity,  and  which  would 
otherwise  have  been  irresistible. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be.  Sir, 

Your  Obedt.  &  very  Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHiLL  House,  W.  BECKFORD. 

Septr.  27 tk,  1800. 

Though  Beckford  would  not  admit  strangers  within 
his  gates,  on  the  other  hand  he  never  refused  the  applica- 
tion of  any  one  of  whom  he  had  the  slightest  knowledge  ; 
but  he  resolutely — and  can  it  be  denied,  wisely  ? — declined 
to  tax  his  time  merely  to  gratify  idle  curiosity — an  idle 
curiosity,  too,  that  was  actually  more  often  aroused  in 
connection  with  himself  than  with  the  Abbey.  Many 
were  the  attempts  surreptitiously  to  effect  an  entrance ; 
sometimes  a  spy  would  get  into  the  grounds  in  the  guise 
of  a  workman,  and  once  a  gentleman  contrived  to  slip  in 
by  the  great  gate.  This  last  exploit  has  served  as  a  peg 
for  many  stories.  It  has  been  said  that  the  stranger, 
mistaking  Beckford  for  a  gardener,  addressed  him ;  that 
Beckford  showed  him  the  grounds ;  and  then,  declaring 
his  identity,  invited  him  to  remain  to  dinner  ;  and  retiring 
after  the  repast,  sent  a  servant  to  say:  "Mr.  Beckford 
ordered  me  to  present  his  compliments  to  you,  Sir,  and 
I  am  to  say  that  as  you  found  your  way  into  Fonthill 


/ 


218  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Abbey  without  assistance,  you  may  find  your  way  out 
again  as  best  you  can  ;  and  he  hopes  you  will  take  care  to 
avoid  the  bloodhounds  that  are  let  loose  in  the  gardens 
every  night.  I  wish  you  good  evening.  No,  thank  you, 
Sir,  Mr.  Beckford  does  not  allow  vails."  It  is  a  good  story 
and  has  been  told  by  many  writers.  Hazlitt  alluded  to  it  in 
*'The  Picture  Galleries  of  England"  (1824),  and  more 
than  half  a  century  later  Mr.  W.  P.  Frith  mentions  it  in 
his  "  Autobiography  "  as  happening  to  a  cousin  of  his — 
but  that  cousin  was  evidently  unable  to  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  improve  upon  the  real  version,  which  happily  has 
been  told  by  Beckford.  "  I  will  tell  you  the  origin  of 
that  story,"  he  said  one  day  to  Cyrus  Redding.  "  Vulgar 
curiosity  was  so  excited  by  the  edifice  I  was  constructing, 
but  more  by  the  falsehoods  told  of  myself,  that  even 
'  gentlemen '  disguised  themselves  in  workmen's  dresses, 
and  got  in  to  see  what  was  doing.  It  was  not  pleasant, 
being  among  the  workmen  continually,  to  be  looked  in 
the  face  all  day  long  by  intrusive  people  who  had  no 
business  there.  I  never  refused  strangers  at  proper  seasons 
the  satisfaction  of  their  curiosity.  The  circumstance  to 
which  you  allude  has  foundation  in  fact.  I  was  coming 
out  of  the  hall,  going  towards  the  plantations,  when  a 
stranger  addressed  me.  '  Can  I  see  Fonthill  ? ' — '  It  is  not 
shown.' — '  Might  I  see  the  gardens  then  ?  You  can  show 
them,  I  dare  say?' — I  thought  I  would  follow  out  the 
joke,  as  the  stranger  was  of  gentlemanly  address.  I  led 
him  into  the  garden,  showed  him  the  grounds,  and  lastly 
took  him  to  the  house.  Here,  I  imagine,  he  began  to 
suspect  I  was  not  what  I  pretended.  I  know  not  to  this 
day  who  he  was — but  I  thought  him  one  of  the  pleasantest 
men  I  had  ever  conversed  with — deeply  read,  sensible, 
and  perfectly  well-bred.  When  I  had  shown  him  the 
principal  apartments,  I  knew  that  dinner  was  serving  up. 
I  begged  him  to  walk  with  me  into  a  room  he  had  not 
seen,  and  instantly  led  the  way  to  the  dinner-table,  telling 
him  of  his  mistake,  of  which  there  was  by  this  time  but 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


219 


little  need.  I  would  take  no  denial ;  he  dined  with  me. 
We  conversed  on  a  variety  of  subjects — he  was  at  home 
in  all.  I  rang  for  a  servant,  as  it  was  dark,  thanking  him 
for  his  society.  I  asked  if  he  had  any  conveyance.  He 
only  expressed  a  wish  to  be  shown  the  way  to  the  park 
gates.  We  parted,  and  I  never  saw  him  more.  As  to 
my  treating  one  of  the  most  agreeable  strangers  I  ever 
saw  in  my  life  with  rudeness — one  who  had  eaten  my  salt 
— it  was  impossible.    I  hope  I  am  a  gentleman." 

Once,  however,  Beckford  did  take  advantage  of  his 
reputation  for  eccentricity,  when  he  was  visited  by  a  lady 
who  desired  him  for  a  son-in-law.  "  I  once  shut  myself 
up  at  Fonthill  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  a  lady — an  un- 
gallant  thing,  I  allow,  to  any  lady  on  earth  but  her  with 
whom  it  occurred.  You  must  well  remember  the  late 
Duchess  of  Gordon,  as  she  was  the  continual  talk  of  the 
town  for  her  curious  ways.  I  could  have  served  no  other 
lady  so,  I  hope — I  never  enjoyed  a  joke  so  much,"  he 
confided  to  Redding.  "At  that  time  everybody  talked 
of  Mr.  Beckford's  enormous  wealth — everything  about  me 
was  exaggerated  proportionately.  I  was  in  consequence 
a  capital  bait  for  the  Duchess's  bite — so  she  thought ; 
I  thought  differently.  She  had  been  told  that  even  a  dog- 
kennel  at  Fonthill  was  a  palace — my  house  a  Potosi. 
What  more  upon  earth  could  be  desired  by  a  managing 
mother  for  a  daughter?  I  might  have  been  aged  and 
impotent — no  matter,  such  is  fashion's  philosophy.  I  got 
a  hint  of  her  intentions  to  surprise  me  with  her  hard  face  at 
Fonthill — a  sight  I  could  gladly  dispense  with.  I  deter- 
mined not  to  see  her.  I  resolved  to  give  her  a  lesson. 
Fonthill  was  put  in  order  for  her  reception,  with  every- 
thing I  could  desire  to  receive  her  magnificently — not 
only  to  receive  her,  but  to  turn  the  tables  on  her  for  the 
presumption  she  had  that  I  was  to  become  the  plaything 
of  her  purposes.  .  .  .  My  arrangements  being  made,  I 
ordered  my  major-domo  to  say,  on  the  Duchess's  arrival, 
that  it  was  unfortunate — everything  being  arranged  for 


/ 


220  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

her  Grace's  reception,  Mr.  Beckford  had  shut  himself  up 
on  a  sudden,  a  way  he  had  at  times,  and  that  it  was  more 
than  his  place  was  worth  to  disturb  him,  as  his  master 
only  appeared  when  he  pleased,  forbidding  interruption, 
even  if  the  King  came  to  Fonthill.  I  had  just  received  a 
new  stock  of  books,  and  had  them  removed  to  the  room 
of  which  I  had  taken  possession.  The  Duchess  conducted 
herself  with  great  equanimity,  and  seemed  much  surprised 
and  gratified  at  what  she  saw,  and  the  mode  of  her  recep- 
tion— just  as  I  desired  she  should  be.  When  she  got  up 
in  the  morning  her  first  question  was,  '  Do  you  think 
Mr.  Beckford  will  be  visible  to-day  ? '  *  1  cannot  inform 
your  Grace — Mr.  Beckford's  movements  are  so  very  un- 
certain— it  is  possible.  Would  your  Grace  take  an  airing 
in  the  Park  ? — a  walk  in  the  gardens  ? '  Everything  which 
Fonthill  could  supply  was  made  the  most  of,  whetting  her 
appetite  to  her  purpose  still  more.  My  master  of  the 
ceremonies  to  the  Duchess  did  not  know  what  to  make  of 
his  master,  the  Duchess,  or  his  own  position.  *  Perhaps 
Mr.  Beckford  will  be  visible  to-morrow? '  was  the  Duchess's 
daily  consolation.  To-morrow  and  to-morrow  and  to- 
morrow came  and  went — no  Mr.  Beckford !  I  read  on, 
determined  not  to  see  her.  Was  it  not  serving  right  such 
a  woman  as  she  was  ?  She  could  not  play  the  speculator 
with  me."  The  Duchess  of  Gordon  departed  after  seven 
or  eight  days,  and  though  we  may  be  sure  she  did  not 
talk  of  her  experiences  at  Fonthill,  something  of  the  truth 
leaked  out,  and  no  match-making  mother  ever  again 
troubled  Beckford. 

In  1796  Beckford  came  again  to  England,  and  went  at 
once  to  Fonthill  House,  taking  with  him  Dr.  Errhart,  his 
physician,  the  Chevalier  Gregario  Franchi,  a  musician,  who 
was  to  act  as  his  major-domo,  and  the  Abbe  Maquin,  artist, 
litterateur,  and  student  of  heraldry,  who  had  for  some 
time  been  his  private  secretary.  Soon  after  his  return, 
he  gave  instructions  to  James  Wyatt  to  prepare  a  design 
for  an  ornamental  building  that  should  have  the  appear- 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


221 


ance  of  a  convent,  be  partly  in  ruins,  and  yet  contain  some 
weather-proof  apartments  which  would  afford  shelter 
from  sun  or  rain.  At  this  time  there  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  Beckford  had  any  thought  of  erecting  a  new 
residence  :  he  was  first  induced  to  extend  his  operations  by 
a  desire  to  find  employment  for  the  labourers  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fonthill. 

Finding  on  my  return  from  the  Continent  an  extensive 
neighbourhood  round  me  in  Wiltshire  almost  starving  and 
considerably  disaffected,  under  the  consequences  of  the 
present  War  (he  wrote  to  Charles  Cooper  in  1798),  I 
commenced,  principally  from  a  Motive  of  furnishing 
Employment  for  some  hundreds  of  poor  Families,  Works 
of  such  Magnitude  and  Extent  as  have  engaged  and  will 
continue  to  engage  all  [my]  ready  money. 

Beckford  refers  also  to  this  motive  in  the  following 
letter,  in  which  also  a  glimpse  is  afforded  of  his  benefac- 
tions. 

William  Beckford  to  his  Mother 

Fonthill,  ^Qth  Nov.,  1796. 

You  are  much  mistaken,  my  dear  Mother,  in  suppos- 
ing the  approach  of  Winter  to  have  relaxed  the  vigour  of 
my  proceedings  at  Fonthill.  Everything  is  going  on  with 
the  same  alacrity  as  at  the  time  when  you  and  my  dear 
Children  were  here.  I  have  extended  the  front  of  the 
Abbey  in  the  Woods  from  the  dimensions  you  saw  us 
working  upon,  to  near  two  hundred  feet,  and  a  good  part 
of  the  building  has  already  reached  the  first  floor.  The 
Conservatory  and  flower  Garden,  which  are  to  surround  it, 
are  begun.  My  Walk,  which  you  will  recollect  is,  ac- 
cording to  the  Plan,  to  be  carried  considerably  more  than 
twenty  Miles  thro'  and  round  the  Woods  (to  which  I 
have  just  made  an  addition  of  ground  by  the  completion 
of  a  new  purchase),  has  already  proceeded  to  nearly  the 
length  of  nine  Miles.  The  Season  proves  admirable  for 
my  planting,  and,  if  it  continues  as  open  till  Christmas, 
I  think  Vincent  will  by  that  time,  with  all  the  hands 


222 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


allowed,  have  got  above  a  million  of  Trees  into  the 
Ground  for  this  Year's  work.  As  these  several  Opera- 
tions, beside  the  painting  and  new  fitting  up  of  several 
Rooms  in  the  House,  and  the  ordinary  business  of  the 
Establishment,  are  all  going  on  together  without  interrup- 
tion, like  the  different  Wheels  of  a  great  Machine,  I  need 
not  tell  you,  that  I  have  the  satisfaction  of  giving  constant 
Employment  to  some  hundreds  of  People  in  one  way  or 
another.  If  this  is  doing  any  good  or  Service  with  my 
Fortune,  and  that  you  know  is  my  meaning  in  most  of 
these  occupations,  I  may,  I  suppose,  content  myself  with 
my  own  interior  approbation  ;  but  do  not  think  me  so 
ridiculous  as  to  imagine  I  am  doing  myself  half  the 
Credit  with  the  World  in  general,  which  I  should  do 
by  keeping  a  Pack  or  two  of  Hounds,  giving  Hunting 
Dinners  and  bumpering  port  and  Madeira  with  Country 
Squires,  in  running  for  the  Sweepstakes  at  Salisbury 
Races,  figuring  at  a  County  Ball,  or  a  Mayor's  Feast. 
From  many  Intimations  and  indeed  a  Disposition  which 
has  plainly  shewn  itself  towards  me  since  my  return  I 
perceive  I  might  acquire  much  Consideration  and  Conse- 
quence in  the  Course  of  the  Winter  by  asking  and  being 
asked  to  eight  o'clock  Dinners  and  Morning  Suppers 
either  in  Town  or  Country,  and  above  all  by  a  little 
Exercise  of  my  Elbows  at  the  Gaming  Table.  But 
what,  my  dear  Mother,  is  to  make  it  worth  my  while 
to  quit  my  quiet  habits,  to  injure  my  health  and  risk  my 
fortune  for  all  this  unmeaning  Whirl  ?  Am  I  to  set  so 
lightly  by  all  my  own  internal  resources,  and  surely  I  have 
some  to  value,  that  I  should  make  such  Sacrifices  to 
Fashion  ? 

They  may  do  so,  who  can  do  no  better.  If  the 
Honours  of  my  Country,  and  even  its  good  Opinion,  are 
to  be  obtained  only  by  a  Conformity  to  such  idle  Modes 
as  these,  1  must  do  without  them.  Were  I,  however,  to 
suffer  the  contemptuous  Indifference  and  Ingratitude  of 
those  whom  I  have  long  obliged  and  who  are  able  to 
return  my  Services,  ever  to  induce  me  to  withdraw  myself 
from  England,  I  have  reason  to  think  my  absence  would  be 
almost  as  much  felt  in  the  Country  as  that  of  any  Subject 
in  the  Kingdom.  One  should  think  that  this  Circum- 
stance amongst  all  our  fair  Claims  would  not  have  passed 
unnoticed  at  this  Time.    But  there  seems,  notwithstand- 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


22a 


ing  the  perpetual  motion  of  the  Bevolutionary  Scythe, 
which  keeps  mowing  down  almost  all  before  it,  and  which 
a  Peace  may  relax  a  little,  but  will  never  stop  ;  there 
seems,  I  say,  notwithstanding  this,  an  Heroic  Security 
and  Confidence  in  some  great  Men,  which  inspires  a 
Disdain  of  any  trifling  Assistance  my  Fortune  may  afford 
or  might  ojffer  towards  blunting  the  sharp  edge  of  that 
Weapon  of  Destruction. 

Tho'  I  ought  before  this  time  to  have  concluded  for 
your  sake  who  have  no  affection  for  long  Letters,  I  must 
not  forget  to  tell  you  on  the  subject  of  Lady  Lough- 
borough's Note,  and  Mr.  Livingstone's  Letter,  that  the 
Non-payment  of  Miss  Cameron's  pension  was  wholly 
owing  to  my  late  Agent's  Neglect,  that  regularity  shall 
be  enforced  for  the  future  and  the  Arrears  immediately 
remitted.  I  have  lately,  too,  ordered  some  temporary 
Assistance  to  be  sent  to  Madame  de  Fay  which  my 
Secret  pension  of  £100  a  year,  tho'  regularly  paid,  has 
not  prevented  her  wanting,  in  consequence  of  Revolu- 
tionary Miseries. 

Lady  Loughborough,  who  has  always  been  partial  ta 
the  family  of  the  Stills,  will  not  be  displeased  to  hear  that 
the  Living  of  Fonthill  which  I  have  given  John  Still  is 
made  to  him  worth  £350  a  year. 

Pray  say  everything  most  kind  from  the  Old  One  ta 
his  Young,  and  be  assured,  my  dear  Mother,  of  the 
sincere  and  cordial  affection  with  which  1  am  most 
dutifully  Your.  .  ,  • 

W.  BECKFORD. 

That  the  erection  of  the  Abbey  was  in  the  first  place 
dictated  by  a  humanitarian  motive,  has  been  overlooked 
by  all  previous  writers,  probably  because  it  was  soon 
overshadowed  by  the  more  obvious  fact  that  not  long 
after  the  operations  were  begun,  the  fever  of  building 
seized  Beckford  and  soon  mastered  him.  He  had  at 
least  this  excuse,  that  Fonthill  House  stood  upon  a  site 
singularly  ill-chosen,  being  close  to  the  edge  of  a  broad 
lake,  at  the  base  of  a  thickly  wooded  hill.  For  the  next 
twenty  years  he  employed  and  amused  himself  by  superin- 
tending the  erection  of  the  magnificent  but  unsubstantial 


/ 


224  WILLIAM  BECK  FORD 

Gothic  structure  known  as  Fonthill  Abbey,  and  in  laying 

out  the  surrounding  grounds.     Whatever  may  be  said 

against  the  Abbey,  no  one  has  anything  but  praise  for 

the  gardens  and  park,  which  were,  indeed,  singularly 

beautiful. 

Once  when  Beckford  was  asked  if  Fonthill  Abbey  was 
built  from  his  own  plan,  "No,  I  have  sins  enough  to 
answer  for,  without  having  that  laid  to  my  charge,"  he 
answered,  "  Wyatt  had  an  opportunity  of  raising  a 
splendid  monument  to  his  fame,  but  he  missed  it."  If, 
however,  the  owner  was  not  responsible  for  the  design, 
he  must  at  least  be  held  accountable  for  the  flimsiness  of 
the  construction.  He  who  builds  surely  builds  slowly,  is 
as  sound  an  aphorism  as  any  other  ;  but  Beckford's  im- 
petuous nature  could  not  submit  to  the  prospect  of  the 
years  that  must  elapse  before  a  solid  structure  could  be 
erected,  and  he  hurried  on  the  operations  by  every  means 
in  his  power.  Contemporary  accounts  state  that  at  one 
period  every  waggon  in  the  district  was  pressed  into  the 
service,  though  this  meant  that  the  agriculture  of  the 
country  suffered,  and  the  labourers  had  to  be  duly  recom- 
pensed by  the  millionaire ;  while  at  another  time  the  royal 
works  at  St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  were  delayed, 
that  some  five  hundred  men  might  work  day  and  night  on 
Fonthill  Abbey.  The  men  were  divided  into  gang§  that 
relieved  each  other,  and  even  during  the  longest  nights  of 
winter  the  work  was  carried  on  by  torchlight.  Beckford's 
determination  to  have  the  building  completed  within  a 
given  time  resulted  in  the  use,  not  of  stone  and  brick,  but 
of  timber  and  cement :  with  the  consequence  that  might 
have  been  anticipated.  The  great  tower  which  rose  to 
the  height  of  three  hundred  feet,  and  was  furnished  with 
pinnacles  and  weather  vanes,  was  built  so  hastily  that  time 
was  not  allowed  to  complete  its  fastenings  to  the  base ;  a 
strong  gust  of  wind,  acting  suddenly  upon  a  large  flag 
attached  to  a  pole  on  the  summit,  brought  down  the 
whole  structure.    Beckford's  only  comment,  made  with 


FONTHILL  ABBEY — interior  of  the  great  western  hall 
John  Rutter 


FONTHILL  ABBEY  225 

superb  nonchalance,  was,  that  he  regretted  he  had  not 
witnessed  the  catastrophe. 

William  Beckford  to  Sir  Isaac  Heard* 

FoNTHILL,  21j<  1800. 

Impavidum  ferient  ruinae 

It  is  perfectly  true  that  the  Showers  fell  and  the  Winds 
blew,  and,  after  getting  full  possession  of  the  upper  Story 
of  the  great  Tower,  insisted  upon  its  giving  way  to  them. 
So,  after  a  Somersault  very  nearly  performed  in  the  higher 
Regions  of  the  Air,  down  came  Boards,  Beams  and  Scaf- 
fold Poles ;  but  so  compactly  and  genteelly  as  not  to  have 
shaken  a  single  Stone  of  the  main  Edifice  or  injured  the 
smallest  Ornament. 

We  shall  rise  again  more  gloriously  than  ever,  pro- 
vided the  sublime  Wyatt  will  graciously  deign  to  bestow 
a  little  more  commonplace  Attention  upon  what  I  sup- 
posed his  favourite  Structure.  The  Crash  and  the  Loss 
sound  magnificently  in  the  Newspaper,  I  neither  heard  the 
one,  nor  felt  the  other. 

Your  kind  and  friendly  Solicitude  merit  my  warmest 
Thanks.  Accept  them  genuine  as  they  flow  from  my 
Heart.  Assure  Lady  Heard  of  all  my  best  Wishes,  and 
amongst  the  Number,  do  not  forget  that  very  Sincere 
one,  of  seeing  you  both  at  Fon thill ;  the  sooner  the  better. 
Adieu  for  the  Moment,  dear  Sir  Isaac.  I  pray  for 
the  Restoration  of  Beltz ;  f  the  Re- establishment  of 
Campbell;  and  the  Health  and  prosperity  of  all  the 
faithfuU. 

A  new  tower  rose  on  the  site  of  the  old,  and,  like  the 
other,  was  constructed  also  of  timber  and  cement;  but, 

*  Sir  Isaac  Heard  (1730-1822),  Garter  King-of-Arms  since  1784. 

t  George  Frederick  Beltz  (1777-1841),  employed  in  the  office 
of  Garter  King-of-Arms,  and  1814  appointed  Brunswick  Herald  in  suc- 
cession to  Heard.  He  was  knighted  in  1836,  and  in  1841  published 
Memorials  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter,  from  its  Foundation  to  the 
Present  Time." 


/ 


226  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

warning  being  taken  by  the  fate  of  the  other,  this  was  sub- 
sequently cased  with  stone,  though  again,  owing  to  hasty 
construction,  the  stone  was  not  properly  clamped  to  the 
timber  work.    This  tower,  which  was  two  hundred  and 
seventy-six  feet  high,  was  deemed  insecure,  and  Beckford 
was  among  those  who  believed  it  would  sooner  or  later 
share  the  fate  of  its  predecessor.    "  I  feared  that  some 
day  I  should  be  crushed  like  a  lobster  in  my  shell,"  he 
said  years  after.    "They  had  neglected  to  secure  the 
foundation ;  the  foreman  hinted  that  the  tower  was  very 
insecure.    '  Good  Heavens,'  said  I,  '  what  is  to  be  done  ? 
Cannot  any  means  be  adopted  to  render  it  safe — we 
might  buttress  up  the  foundation  in  some  way?'  The 
answer  was,  '  No,  nothing  but  taking  down  and  rebuilding 
it  from  the  foundation  will  do.'    This  was  unwelcome 
news.    The  tower  was  more  than  two  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  high.    I  was  housed  in  the  new  building.    It  was  a 
source  of  continual  apprehension  to  me.     I  was  like 
Damocles  with  the  sword  over  his  head.    Perhaps  the 
immediate  cause  of  the  fall  was  something  that  had  gone 
on  within,  that  imparted  a  shock  a  few  hours,  or  it  may 
be  days,  before  it  took  place.    The  architects  were  not 
only  negligent,  but  obstinate.    They  would  balustrade 
the  bottom  of  the  open  window,  or  rather  cloister,  at  the 
top  of  the  octagon  room  on  one  side  of  the  passage — a 
thing  very  unsuited  to  a  Gothic  edifice.    That  room  was 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  high.    This  annoyed  me  a 
good  deal.    One  day  I  went  up  with  a  new  pair  of  this 
kind  of  boots  on,  and  planting  my  back  firmly  against  the 
inner  side  of  the  passage,  I  kicked  with  all  my  might 
against  the  top  of  the  balustrade  again  and  again.  Soon 
loosening  the  stones,  down  they  went  a  hundred  feet, 
crash  upon  the  floor  beneath,  covering  the  furniture  with 
broken  rubbish.    The  balustrade  was  then  replaced  with 
shields  and  more  suitable  designs.    I  gave  them  a  lesson." 
The  tower,  however,  did  not  fall  until  after  Beckford  had 
sold  Fonthill,  and  when  it  came  down  in  1825,  it  destroyed 


FONTHILL  ABBEY  227 

a  considerable  portion  of  the  mansion.  The  new  pro- 
prietor, on  seeing  the  damage  that  had  been  done  to  his 
residence,  remarked  placidly,  "  Now  the  house  is  not  too 
big  for  me  to  live  in."  * 

*  James  Storer's  contemporary  description  of  Fonthill  Abbey  is 
printed  in  the  Appendix  to  this  work. 


CHAPTER  XII 


f^THE  ABBOT  OF  FONTHILL"  (1796-1822) 

The  Nelson  fete  at  Fonthill  :  Sir  William  Hamilton  and  his 
second  wife  ;  Beckford  desires  a  peerage — letter  from  Lord 
Thurlow,  &c.  :  Emma,  Lady  Hamilton  :  Peter  Pindar"  :  Nelson 
at  Fonthill  :  Lady  Hamilton's  "  Attitudes  "  :  A  letter  from  Beck- 
ford  to  Lord  Nelson  :  The  quiet  life  at  Fonthill  :  Some  visitors  : 
The  impressions  of  Benjamin  West  and  Samuel  Rogers  :  Beck- 
ford's  amusements  :  Selections  from  his  correspondence,  1796- 
1817  :  His  indoor  occupations  :  His  love  of  books  :  Annotated 
copies  :  Some  literary  criticisms  :  His  unpublished  anthology  : 
His  religious  views  :  "The  Last  Day"  :  "A  Prayer"  :  His 
interest  in  genealogy  and  heraldry  :  His  hatred  of  spurious 
pedigrees  :  His  unpublished  "  Liber  Veritatis  "  :  His  daughters  : 
The  younger  marries  the  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton  :  The  elder 
Lieutenant-General  Orde  :  The  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton  : 
Beckford's  ajffection  for  his  grandson,  the  eleventh  Duke  of 

Hamilton 

There  was  considerable  surprise  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Fonthill  when  early  in  1801  the  news  circulated  that  a 
fete  was  to  be  given  in  honour  of  Lord  Nelson.  This 
arose  out  of  an  invitation  from  Beckford  to  Sir  William 
Hamilton  and  his  second  wife  to  visit  him  at  Fonthill. 
Sir  William,  who  was  then  seventy  years  of  age,  had 
fallen  upon  evil  days :  in  October  1798  many  of  his  anti- 
quarian treasures  which  he  had  sent  from  Naples  in 
anticipation  of  his  return  to  England  had  been  lost  in  the 
wreck  of  the  Colossus  ;  and  shortly  after,  during  some  riots 
in  the  city  where  he  had  so  long  resided,  much  of  his 
remaining  property  was  destroyed.  He  returned  to 
London,  where  Beckford  placed  his  house  in  Grosvenor 
Square  at  his  disposal,  and  in  his  distress,  naturally  enough 
he  applied  to  the  British  Government  for  a  pension,  but 

228 


WILLIAM  BECK  FORD 

ROMNEY 

FROM  AN  OLD  ENGRAVING 


LORD  THURLOW  229 


there  was  some  hesitation  in  granting  him  this  relief. 
Now,  Beckford  had  always  desired  a  peerage,  as  the 
following  letter  shows  : 

Lord  Thurlow  to  William  Beckford 

April  14>,  1784. 

Dear  Sir, 

I  am  this  moment  arrived  in  town ;  am  but  this 
moment  informed,  that  any  list  of  Peers  has  been  given 
in,  much  more  a  very  long  one ;  and  this  I  have  only 
from  your  Letter.  This  circumstance  is  not  promising, 
and  I  wish  I  knew  what  your  friend  augurs  .  .  .  that 
your  pretentions  depend  at  all  upon  my  making  a  point 
of  them.  I  should  certainly  be  happy  to  second  your 
wishes  (whatever  I  think  of  them)  because  they  are  yours, 
and  I  have  attended  to  them,  as  well  as  1  knew  how ; 
tho',  till  lately,  I  did  not  know,  that  you  expected,  or  ever 
wished,  to  quit  a  more  active  field  so  soon ;  which  Mr.  K. 
was  prepared  to  open  for  you,  whenever  you  chose  to 
appear  in  it.* 

I  am.  Dear  Sir, 

With  great  regard. 

Your  most  faithful 
and  obedient  Servant, 

THURLOW. 

Hitherto  Beckford  s  wish  for  a  peerage  had  not  been 
granted :  perhaps  because,  chiefly  owing  to  his  lengthy 
absences  abroad,  he  had  not  brought  his  influence  to  bear 
upon  the  Government  of  the  day ;  but  now  he  thought  he 
saw  a  way  at  the  same  time  to  achieve  his  purpose  and  to 
assist  his  distressed  kinsman. 

*  Mr.  K."  is  Lloyd  Kenyon,  who  sat  as  M.P.  for  Hinton^  on  the 
understanding  that  he  should  apply  for  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  whenever 
Beckford,  whose  interest  in  the  borough  was  paramount,  should  desire 
him  to  do  so.    See  p.  185  of  this  work. 


/ 


230  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Nicholas  Williams  to  Sir  William  Hamilton 

Grosvenor  Square,  November  1800. 

Dear  Sir, 

As  you  seemed  desirous  I  should  give  you  in 
writing  the  outline  of  the  proposition  I  yesterday  had  the 
honour  to  make  regarding  the  subject  Mr.  Beekford  had 
commissioned  me  to  converse  with  you  on,  that  all  mis- 
understanding on  a  matter  of  such  importance  might  be 
avoided,  I  will  endeavour  to  state  it  to  you  as  concisely  as 
possible. 

Mr.  Beekford  is  well  acquainted  with  the  just  reasons 
you  have  to  expect  a  consideration  from  Government  in 
recompense  for  your  long  and  meritorious  services,  as  well 
as  for  the  very  heavy  expenses  you  must  have  incurred  in 
consequence  of  the  unusual  difficulties  of  your  situation. 
And  as  Administration,  from  the  great  pressure  of  the 
times,  and  the  number  of  claims  they  must  have  on  them, 
may  not  find  it  convenient  to  accord  with  your  expecta- 
tions, as  to  making  a  provision  beyond  the  distinguished 
mark  of  favour  you  will  no  doubt  receive  from  his  Majesty, 
Mr.  Beekford  has  authorized  me  to  say,  if  a  Peerage  should 
be  offered,  and  you  could  arrange  it  so  that  the  grant  may 
be  made  to  yourself,  with  remainder  to  Mr.  Beekford  and 
his  heirs,  that  he  would  secure  to  you  an  annuity  for  life 
of  whatever  sum  the  consideration  Government  may  make 
shall  fall  short  of  your  expectations,  with  an  adequate 
reversion  to  Lady  Hamilton  for  her  life.  This,  Sir,  is  the 
substance  of  what  I  had  the  honour  to  communicate  to 
you  ;  and  it  seems  quite  unnecessary  for  me  to  state  any 
arguments  in  support  of  the  just  claims  Mr.  Beekford  also 
has  on  his  country,  independent  of  the  services  rendered 
in  the  late  trying  crisis,*  by  the  respectable  corps  of  volun- 
teers he  has  raised,  and  wholly  armed,  clothed,  and  sup- 
ported ;  you  are  not  unacquainted  that  he  has  always  given 
his  influence  to  Administration,  by  the  return  of  two 
Members  to  Parliament,  which  he  will  have  no  difficulty 
of  continuing,  provided  a  favourable  disposition  should  be 
manifested  towards  him. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  dear  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

NICHOLAS  WILLIAMS. 
*  An  allusion  to  Beckford's  "Adventure  in  Diplomacy." 


LADY  HAMILTON 


231 


Eventually  a  pension  of  £1200  a  year  was  granted  by 
Government  to  Sir  William  Hamilton :  but  nothing  came 
of  the  peerage  scheme.  Beckford,  though  he  did  not  press 
the  matter,  may  still  have  hoped  it  might  come  to  pass ; 
it  is  not  known,  however,  if  he  took  any  notice  of  the 
following  mysterious  note  preserved  among  his  papers. 

J.  J.  Reading  to  William  Beckford 

London,  7  July,  1825, 

Sir, 

It  has  been  imparted  to  me  in  a  confidential  manner 
by  a  Right  Honb^®  Gentleman,  a  particular  friend  of  mine, 
that  you  were  desirous  some  time  ago  of  obtaining  an 
additional  degree  of  Rank ;  if  you  are  still  anxious  to 
obtain  such  an  honour  I  think  it  is  in  my  power  to 
accomplish  your  wishes. 

I  remain, 
Sir, 

Your  most  obed.  Servant, 

J.  J.  READING. 

Please  to  direct  for  me 

at  Mr.  Chands,  16  Burlington 

Arcade. 

Sir  William  Hamilton's  second  wife  was  the  notorious 
Emma — as  Beckford  put  it,  Lord  Nelson's  Lady 
Hamilton,  or  anybody  else's  Lady  Hamilton  " — and  owing 
to  his  fondness  for  Sir  William's  first  wife,  she  held  a 
lower  place  in  his  regard  than  she  might  otherwise  have 
done.  "  I  never  thought  the  second  Lady  Hamilton  a 
fascinating  woman,"  he  said  ;  "  she  was  somewhat  mascu- 
line, but  symmetrical  in  figure,  so  that  Sir  William  called 
her  his  Grecian.  Her  countenance  was  agreeable — certainly 
not  beautiful.  She  affected  sensibility,  but  felt  none — was 
artful ;  and  no  wonder,  she  had  been  trained  in  the  Court  of 
Naples — a  fine  school  for  an  Englishwoman  of  any  stamp  ! 
It  was  a  hell  of  corruption.  Nelson  was  infatuated.  She 
could  make  him  believe  anything — that  the  profligate 


/ 


232  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

queen  was  a  Madonna.  He  was  her  dupe.  She  persuaded 
him  at  last  that  she  had  a  daughter — a  Nelsoness.  She 
never  had  a  child  in  her  life,  in  the  opinion  of  those  who 
knew  something  about  her.  She  rivetted  Nelson's  heart 
by  telling  him  it  was  through  her  means  his  ships  were 
fitted  and  victualled.  The  fact  was,  no  minister  had  ever 
such  a  preponderating  influence  at  the  Court  of  Naples  as 
Sir  William  Hamilton — it  was  his  affair.  He  had  been 
all-powerful  there  before  he  saw  his  second  wife."  In 
spite  of  his  feelings,  however,  Beckford  was  on  friendly 
terms  with  her,  and  it  was  to  her  that  he  suggested  the 
visit  to  Fonthill. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

Monday  Night,  1 1 .  o'clock, 
Mth  Novr.,  1800. 

My  Dear  Lady  Hamilton, 

In  our  addresses  to  superior  Beings  it  is  quite  in 
vain  to  flatter  or  dissemble.  I  cannot  help  therefore 
bluntly  telling  you  that  you  have  many  worse  things  to 
get  over  than  our  November  Fogs. 

The  Intellectual  Fog  we  labour  under  in  this  phlegmatic 
Country  is  the  very  Devil.  If  any  Rays  can  dissipate  this 
gloom,  yours  will ;  but  you  must  shine  steadily,  rise  early, 
sit  late,  and  Keep  above  the  Horizon  almost  without 
relaxation  till  we  have  animated  the  dull  Clod. 

The  gracious  reception  of  the  letter  for  the  Queen  and 
the  ungracious  silence  observed  upon  it  ever  since,  are 
strange  circumstances ;  but  I  have  done  wondering  at 
anything  from  that  quarter.  Your  interview  with  D.* 
holds  forth  some  hope.  I  agree  with  you  in  thinking  him 
the  best  of  the  tribe.  The  Chr.  whom  Sir  W.  fancies  his 
Friend  and  who  has  decidedly  proved  himself  my  Enemy 
is  of  a  colder  and  blacker  Composition ;  but  what  Miracles 
the  spirit  of  Scotticism  may  work  even  upon  this  dire 
Composition  I  cannot  answer.  How  unaccountable  that 
there  should  be  the  smallest  difficulty  in  the  business,  so 
energetically  ready  as  I  am  to  come  forwards  with  some- 

♦  Henry  Dundas,  then  a  Secretary  of  State  for  Home  Affairs. 


LADY  HAMILTON 


233 


thing  solid  in  exchange  for  a  mere  Vapour.  I  can  scarcely 
persuade  myself  that  any  of  these  Satraps  however  callous, 
however  obdurate,  would  stand  plump  in  Sir  Wm's  way ; 
or  that  the  K[ing]  if  properly  informed  upon  the  Subject, 
would  allow  cold  water  to  be  thrown  upon  so  reasonable 
a  proposal,  because  I  happen  to  be  distantly,  and,  I  hope, 
very  distantly  interested  in  its  success.  We  shall  see,  and 
they  shall  see  and  hear  too,  if  they  are  determined  to  put 
Knives  and  Ratsbane  under  my  Pillow  whenever  I  attempt 
at  any  Stage  of  this  troublesome  business  to  lay  down  my 
Head.  A  fine  fuss  to  be  sure  about  their  parchments  and 
patents,  which  Bankers  and  the  offspring  of  Jew  Brokers 
have  been  suffer'd  to  purchase,  and  which  have  been  scat- 
tered about  with  such  profusion  that  should  that  pestilence, 
a  Revolution,  follow  in  due  course  the  Famine  now  howl- 
ing at  our  door,  not  a  Taylor  will  be  unprovided  with 
Measures  from  the  ci-devant  glorious  materials.  And, 
really,  at  the  rate  our  World  is  whirling,  I  should  not  be 
surprised  at  its  making  a  dead  stop  at  the  dreadful  point 
of  ruin  and  Insurrection.  Therefore,  what  Madness, 
what  Intoxication  to  pauze  so  wearisomely  in  this 
Affair,  and  not  close  with  the  proposal  cheerfully  and 
with  a  good  grace.  I  long  to  hear  the  result  of  your 
Conversation  with  the  best  of  the  tribe.  We  must  not 
give  up  easily.  If  baffled  one  day — rise  again  the  next 
and  pursue  your  object  with  those  omnipotent  looks,  words 
and  gestures,  with  which  Heaven  has  gifted  you.  By 
such  perseverant  Efforts,  and  by  such  alone,  we  shall 
obtain  justice  and  Comfort  for  Sir  Wm.,  in  spite  of  the 
ungenerous,  bandy  legged  Crooked  policy  which  prevails, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  in  our  highest  departments.  In  all  our 
Manoeuvres  we  shall  be  actively  assisted  by  Mr.  Williams, 
with  whose  hearty  Zeal  and  native  Ability  you  are  now 
acquainted,  and  who,  I  am  inexpressibly  happy  to  learn, 
has  executed  the  Commissions,  with  which  I  entrusted 
him,  so  much  to  your  and  Sir  Wm's.  satisfaction. 

Fray  tell  Lord  Nelson,  that  tho'  dead  to  the  World  in 
general  and  to  almost  all  its  great  and  Small  Characters, 
I  am  perfectly  alive  to  his  transcendent  Merit,  and  feel 
towards  him  those  Sentiments  of  gratefuU  admiration 
which  glow  in  the  heart  of  every  genuine  Briton.  I  exult 
in  the  hopes  of  seeing  Fonthill  honored  by  his  victorious 
presence,  and  if  his  engagements  permit  his  accompanying 


/ 


234  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

you  here,  we  shall  enjoy  a  few  comfortable  days  of  repose 
— uncontaminated  by  the  sight  and  prattle  of  drawing- 
room  parasites. 

Now,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton,  you  must  be  pretty 
well  tried  with  my  long  scribbleation.  I  am  writing  by 
the  dim  light  of  Candles  with  portentous  snufFs,  and  the 
driving  Showers  have  almost  lulled  me  and  all  my  projects 
and  Speculations  asleep.  That  light  alone  which  beams 
from  your  Image  ever  before  my  Fancy  like  a  Vision  of 
Madonna  della  Gloria,  keeps  my  eyes  sufficiently  open  to 
subscribe  myself  with  tolerable  distinctness. 

Your  most  truly  affect., 

W.  BECKFORD. 

My  kind  Compliments  to  your  Mother  whom  I  shall 
rejoice  to  see  at  Fonthill. 

In  March  1801  Sir  William  and  Lady  Hamilton  came 
with  Lord  Nelson  to  Fonthill,  and  a  numerous  company 
was  invited  there  to  meet  them,  including  Benjamin 
West,  James  Wyatt,  and  Dr.  Wolcot,  better  known  under 
his  pseudonym  of  "  Peter  Pindar."  Beqkford  had  great 
admiration  for  Woleot's  undoubted  talents :  "  How  well 
he  wrote — how  original  his  style  and  humour,"  he  said  of 
him  :  "  he  understood  character  thoroughly — he  played 
with  human  foibles "  :  none  the  less  it  was  strange  to 
invite  him  to  the  Abbey  when  the  Hamiltons  were  there, 
for  he  had  bitterly  assailed  them  in  his  most  aggressive  and 
ever-amusing  way.  In  "  Peter's  Prophesy  "  he  had  hit  Sir 
William  hard  in  his  tenderest  spot : 

The  world  reports  (I  hope  untrue)^ 
That  half  Sir  William's  Mugs  and  Gods  are  new  ; 
Himself  the  baker  of  the  ^  Etrurian  Ware  ' 
That  made  our  British  Antiquarians  stare  : 
Nay,  that  he  means  ere  long  to  cross  the  main. 
And  at  his  Naples  oven  sweat  again ; 
And,  by  his  late  successes  rendered  bolder. 
To  bake  new  Mugs,  and  Gods  some  ages  older;'' 

and  in    A  Lyric  Epistle  to  Sir  William  Hamilton,"  he 


"PETER  PINDAR"  235 

had  made  a  particularly  virulent  attack  upon  Lady 
Hamilton : 

"  O  Knight  of  Naples,  is  it  come  to  pass 
That  thou  hast  left  the  Gods  of  stone  and  brass. 
To  wed  a  Deity  of  Jiesk  and  blood  ? 

0  lock  the  temple  with  thy  strongest  key, 
For  fear  thy  Deity,  a  comely  she, 

Should  one  day  ramble  in  a  frolic  mood : — 

"  For  since  the  Idols  of  a  youthful  King, 
So  very  volatile  indeed,  take  wing ; 
If  his  to  wicked  wanderings  can  incline. 
Lord  !  who  would  answer,  poor  old  Knight,  for  thine  ? 
Yet  should  thy  Grecian  Goddess  fly  the  fane, 

1  think  that  we  may  catch  her  in  Hedge-lane."  * 

However,  as  Beckford  subsequently  remarked  :  "  Wolcot 
is  the  most  delightful  company  I  ever  knew.  He  charmed 
my  visitors  at  Fonthill  with  his  wit  and  story-telling," 
presumably  Sir  WilHam  and  his  wife  bore  no  malice. 

Lord  Nelson's  journey  to  Fonthill  was  a  triumphal 
procession.  From  Salisbury,  where  with  Sir  William  and 
Lady  Hamilton,  he  arrived  on  March  20,  he  was  escorted 
to  the  Lodge  at  the  entrance  to  Beckford's  park,  where 
the  Fonthill  volunteers  were  drawn  up  in  a  double  line 
from  the  gates  to  the  house.  There  were  cheering  crowds, 
bands  playing  "  Rule  Britannia,"  and  the  firing  of  feus  de 
joie.  After  dinner  on  the  first  two  evenings,  to  quote  a 
contemporary  account,  "a  variety  of  vocal  pieces  were 
finely  executed  by  Lady  Hamilton  in  her  expressive  and 
triumphant  manner,  and  by  Banti  with  all  her  charms 
of  voice  and  Italian  sensibility."  On  the  third  and  last  day 
of  the  visit  the  festivities  were  transferred  to  the  Abbey, 
where  in  the  great  library  Lady  Hamilton  struck  one  of 
her  famous  attitudes.  "  She  appeared  in  the  character  of 
Agrippina,  bearing  the  ashes  of  Germanicus  in  a  golden 
urn,  and  as  presenting  herself  before  the  Roman  people 
with  the  design  of  exciting  them  to  revenge  the  death  of 
her  husband ;  who,  after  having  been  declared  joints 

*  The  resort  of  the  Cyprian  Corps,  opening  into  Cockspur  Street. 


236  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

emperor  by  Tiberius,  fell  a  victim  to  his  envy,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  been  poisoned  by  his  order  at  the  head 
of  the  forces  which  he  was  leading  against  the  rebellious 
Armenians,"  so  runs  the  account  of  one  who  was  present. 
"  liady  Hamilton  displayed,  with  truth  and  energy,  every 
gesture,  attitude,  and  expression  of  countenance,  which 
could  be  conceived  in  Agrippina  herself,  best  calculated  to 
have  moved  the  passions  of  the  Romans  in  behalf  of  their 
favourite  general.  The  action  of  her  head,  of  her  hands 
and  arms  in  the  various  positions  of  the  urn,  in  her  manner 
of  presenting  it  before  the  Romans,  or  of  holding  it  up  to 
the  gods  in  the  act  of  supplication,  was  most  classically 
graceful.  Every  change  of  dress,  principally  of  the  head, 
to  suit  the  different  situations  in  which  she  successively 
presented  herself,  was  performed  instantaneously  with  the 
most  perfect  ease,  and  without  retiring  or  scarcely  turning 
aside  a  moment  from  the  spectators.  In  the  last  scene  of 
this  beautiful  pantomime,  she  appeared  with  a  young  lady 
of  the  Company,  who  was  to  personate  a  daughter.  Her 
action  in  this  part  was  so  perfectly  just  and  natural,  and  so 
pathetically  addressed  to  the  spectators,  as  to  draw  tears 
from  several  of  the  company."*  Beckford's  account  is 
more  brief :  "  Lady  Hamilton  figured  there  before  Lord 
Nelson,  much  to  her  own  satisfaction,  in  the  character  of 
Agrippina— it  should  have  been  Cleopatra.  She  repre- 
sented the  character  well — I  must  do  her  that  justice. 
Perhaps  Nelson  inspired  her." 

One  letter  from  Beckford  to  Lord  Nelson,  written 
shortly  after  this  visit,  has  been  preserved,  and  it  may  be 
here  inserted. 

William  Beckford  to  Lord  Nelson 

Grosvenor  Square, 

29  ^jpnV,  1801. 

My  dear  Lord, 

That  lovely  and  generous  minded  Being,  who 
inspires  all  those  she  looks  at  or  speaks  to  with  happiness, 

♦  Gentleman  s  Magazine,  April  1801.    Vol.  Ixxi.,  pt.  1.  p.  298. 


LORD  NELSON 


237 


has  inspired  me  with  the  flattering  hope  that,  tho'  almost 
tired  with  congratulations,  you  will  not  receive  mine  with 
indifference.  Receive  then  favourably,  my  dear  Lord, 
the  expressions  of  admiration  and  grateful  Regard  with 
which  my  Heart  overflows  at  the  [thought]  of  your  good 
and  great  Action. 

We  are  embarked  (politically  speaking)  upon  an  Ocean 
of  Troubles  now,  nor  do  I  see  much  Chance  of  reaching 
a  secure  Haven  but  under  your  immediate  Auspices. 
Indeed,  my  Hopes  of  National  Prosperity  rise  and  sink  in 
proportion  to  the  degree  of  Confidence  delegated  to  you. 
To  your  Lordship  alone  must  this  great  Nation  look  up 
for  Animation  and  Vitality. 

Without  a  gleam  from  that  prosperous  Star  which 
attends  you,  our  State  would  be  dark  and  morbid.  I  could 
tell  you  strange  Things  concerning  the  real  disposition  of 
the  French,  so  different,  so  widely  opposite  to  what  is 
giving  out  from  consequential  Quarters,  that  you  would 
scarcely  credit  them. 

Notwithstanding  my  wishes  for  peace  and  my  thorough 
conviction  of  its  being  attainable  upon  honourable  Terms 
at  this  very  Hour,  I  cannot  help  wishing  the  Enemy  to 
feel  once  more  the  edge  of  your  Lightening — Yes,  another 
forked  Dart,  and  1  think  they  will  have  had  pretty  well 
enough  of  it. — Then,  my  dear  Lord,  your  real  and 
affectionate  Friends  may  hope  to  see  you  enjoying  that 
Tranquility  and  Leisure  so  essential  to  your  Health.  I 
cannot  express  all  our  anxieties  when  we  hear  of  the  sleep- 
less Nights  and  more  than  mortal  Days  you  are  so  repeatedly 
passing. — For  God's  sake,  and  for  all  our  sakes,  whilst 
taking  so  much  care  of  others,  do  not  entirely  lose  sight 
of  that  Care  which  is  necessary  for  the  preservation  of 
your  inestimable  existence. 

I  am,  my  dear  Lord, 

Most  faithfully  & 
devoted  yrs, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

The  fHe  in  honour  of  Lord  Nelson  was  the  only 
striking  event  in  the  social  annals  of  Fonthill  Abbey 
With  this  exception,  Beckford  led  a  retired  life,  though, 
of  course,  he  frequently  had  visitors.    James  Wyatt  was, 


238  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

naturally  enough,  often  at  Fonthill,  and  Nicholas 
Williams,  John  Soane,  "  Anastatius  "  Hope,  Sir  Isaac  and 
Lady  Heard,  George  Frederick  Beltz,  and  Benjamin 
West,  then  President  of  the  Royal  Academy,  who,  after 
an  earlier  visit,  had  written  enthusiastically  of  the  Abbey. 

Benjamin  West  to  Nicholas  Williams,  at  Fonthill 

London,  Jan,  5,  1801. 

Dear  Sir, 

It  is  a  satisfaction  to  write  to  you  again  from  my 
House  in  Newman  Street,  where  I  arrived  yesterday  at 
12  o'clock :  and  in  addition  to  this  I  have  the  happiness 
to  inform  you,  that  I  found  Mrs.  West  nearly  recovered 
from  the  shock  occasioned  by  the  Accident  which  took 
place  at  my  House,  while  I  was  at  Fonthill.  She  has 
desired  me  to  make  her  respects  to  Mr.  Beckford,  and 
yourself,  for  your  kind  solicitude  towards  her  as  well  as 
for  me — on  this  distressing  event  (which  I  found  to  be 
true,  as  related  in  the  papers). 

To  close  this  letter  without  expressing  the  high  sense 
I  have  of  the  marked  friendship  I  received  when  at  Font- 
hill, would  be  repugnant  to  my  feelings ;  and  as  the 
Luxury  to  acknowledge  acts  of  friendship,  is  as  grateful 
to  me,  as  to  receive  them,  I  beg  you  will  make  known  to 
Mr.  Beckford — with  my  respects,  my  sincerest  thanks  for 
that  friendship — and  how  much  I  feel  myself  honoured 
on  that  occasion,  by  his  Attention. 

When  I  reflect  on  the  progress,  which  the  combination 
of  arts  have  made,  directed  by  true  taste,  since  I  first  rode 
on  the  ground  on  which  the  Abbey  stands — I  am  lost  in 
admiration — and  feel  that  I  have  seen  a  place  raised  more 
by  majick,  or  inspiration,  than  the  labours  of  the  human 
hand :  this  is  the  sensation  which  the  examination  of  that 
elegant  edifice  produced  on  my  feelings ;  and  when  the 
part  which  remains  to  be  finished,  is  accomplished,  must 
raise  a  climax  of  excellence  without  an  example  in  the 
European  world — -and  to  give  an  immortality  to  the  man 
whose  elegant  mind  has  conceived  so  vast  a  combination 
of  all  that  is  refined  in  Painting,  Sculpture,  and  Archi- 
tecture. 


SAMUEL  ROGERS  239 

Samuel  Rogers,  staying  with  Lord  Bath  at  Longleat, 
received  an  invitation  to  go  on  to  Fonthill,  which  he 
eagerly  accepted.    He,  too,  placed  on  record  his  impres- 
sions of  this  visit.    "On  arriving  at  the  gate,  I  was 
informed  that  neither  my  servant  nor  my  horses  could 
be  admitted,  but  that  Mr.  Beckford's  attendants  and 
horses  should  be  at  my  service.    The  other  visitors  at 
that  time  were  Smith,  who  published  *  Vicus  in  Italy,'  and 
a  French  ecclesiastic,  a  very  elegant  and  accomplished 
man.    During  the  day  we  used  to  drive  about  the  grounds 
in  pony-chaises.    In  the  evening  Beckford  would  amuse 
us  by  reading  one  of  his  unpublished  works  ;  or  he  would 
extemporise  on  the  pianoforte,  producing  the  most  novel 
and  charming  melodies  (which,  by  the  bye,  his  daughter, 
the  Duchess  of  Hamilton,  can  do  also),"  he  noted  at  the 
time.    "  I  was  struck  rather  by  the  refinement  than  the 
magnificence  of  the  hospitality  at  Fonthill.    I  slept  in  a 
bedroom  which  opened  into  a  gallery  where  lights  were 
kept  burning  the  whole  night.    In  that  gallery  was  a 
picture  of  St.  Antonio,  to  which  it  was  said  that  Beckford 
would  sometimes  steal  and  pay  his  devotions."  *  Further 
appreciation  was  shown  by  Rogers  in  a  letter  to  Byron, 
dated  February  8,  1818 :  "I  was  in  Wiltshire  the  other 
day,  and  paid  a  visit  to  the  Abbot  of  Fonthill.  The 
woods  recalled  Vallombrosa,  the  Abbey  the  Duomo  of 
Milan,  and  as  for  its  interior,  the  length  of  the  galleries 
(only  think  of  330  feet !),  the  splendour  of  the  cabinets, 
and  the  magical  illusions  of  light  and  shade,  realised  all 
my  visions.    Then  he  played  and  sung — and  the  effect 
was  singular — like  the  pealings  of  a  distant  choir,  now 
swelling,  now  dying  away.    He  read  me  his  travels  in 
Portugal,  and  the  stories  related  in  that  small  chamber  in 
the  Palace  of  EbUs."  f 

Though  Beckford  led  a  very  quiet  life,  and  Rogers 
was  the  most  gregarious  of  men,  they  had  at  least  a  love 

*    Table  Talk"  (ed.  Powell),  p.  l68. 
t  Byron,  "  Letters,"  Vol.  iv.  p.  207. 


/ 


240  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

of  letters  in  common,  and  after  this  visit  they  met  again 
and  corresponded. 

Samuel  Rogers  to  William  Beckford 

Friday  [23  Oct,,  1818.] 

My  dear  Sir, 

Many,  many  thanks — I  should  have  great  pleasure 
in  waiting  upon  you  on  Tuesday,  and  would  gladly  have 
changed  the  day  for  that  purpose — if  I  had  not  very  un- 
fortunately just  received  a  letter  from  town  which  obliged 
me,  however  reluctantly,  to  set  off  for  that  Pandemonium 
tomorrow  morning.  I  cannot  say  what  a  disappointment 
it  is  to  me,  but  I  hope  to  indemnify  myself  on  some  future 
day. 

Yours  ever  most  truly, 

SAML.  ROGERS. 

Lord  Byron  has  just  written  another  poem  after  the 
manner  of  Beppo.  He  calls  it  "  Don  Juan,"  and  dedi- 
cates it  in  no  very  flattering  verse  to  Southey.  Is  "  Don 
Juan  "  another  portrait  of  the  same  personage  who  lurks 
in  "  Childe  Harold,"  in  "  Manfred,"  in  "  Lara,"  &c.  &c.  ? 

Beckford  was  singularly  independent  of  company, 
having  more  resources  in  himself  than  usually  falls  to 
the  lot  of  a  man.  "  I  love  building,  planting,  garden- 
ing, whatever  will  keep  me  employed  in  the  open  air," 
he  said ;  and,  while  the  Abbey  was  being  built  and  the 
grounds  laid  out,  he  might  have  been  seen  at  all  hours 
of  the  day,  and  sometimes,  too,  at  night,  watching  the 
progress  of  the  operations.  He  charged  himself  with  the 
welfare  of  his  workmen,  of  whom  there  were  never  less 
than  two  hundred  in  his  employ  while  he  was  at  Fonthill ; 
he  visited  the  poor  on  his  estates,  and  made  provision  for 
those  who  could  not  help  themselves.  "  He  was,  indeed, 
a  good  landlord,"  said  one  who  knew  him  well  both  in 
Wiltshire  and  Somersetshire.  Some  general  idea  of  his 
interests  may  be  gathered  from  a  selection  of  his  letters 
written  during  his  residence  at  Fonthill. 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-^1817  241 


William  Beckford  to  his  Mother 

FONTHILL,  Aug.,  1796. 

I  am  sorry  to  tell  you,  my  Dear  Mother,  that  I  think 
myself  shamefully  trifled  with,  not  so  much  in  the  affair 
which  formed  the  chief  topick  of  your  conversation  at  the 
villa  in  your  neighbourhood,  as  in  that  of  Portugal.  I 
have  received  no  answer  to  that  important  communica- 
tion with  which  I  was  entrusted,  no  invitation  to  consult 
upon  them,  no  mark  of  attention  or  gratitude.  Things  at 
Lisbon  are  advancing  to  such  a  Crisis  that  I  shall  be 
forced  to  confess  my  inability  of  recording  the  Prince's 
most  excellent  dispositions  towards  this  Country — the 
consequence  will  be  confirming  the  triumph  of  the  Spanish 
Faction  to  the  utter  destruction  of  our  commerce  with 
Portugal  and  its  dependencies. 

I  hear  from  all  quarters  both  at  home  and  from  abroad 
the  unfavourable  opinion  which  is  forming  of  the  conduct 
of  those  in  power — and  I  greatly  fear  from  their  inanimate 
behavior  to  me  that  I  shall  be  driven  into  the  torrent  that 
is  turning  against  them.  Applications  are  making  to  me 
in  a  very  circumspect  manner  to  join  in  the  attack.  You 
are  sensible,  I  am  certain,  how  cordially  inclined  I  feel 
myself  to  the  Countess  of  Mansfield  with  whom  you  have 
been  conversing ;  and,  indeed,  to  all  those  with  whom  she 
is  connected ;  but  unless  a  very  different  line  of  conduct  is 
adopted  towards  me,  and  the  services  I  have  it  in  my 
power  to  render  are  treated  with  less  contempt  and  reserve, 
I  shall  be  obliged  to  communicate  such  observations  to 
my  royal  Friend  in  Portugal  as  may  tend  not  a  little  to 
disperse  the  sharks  which  are  gathering  round  us.  This 
would  give  me  the  greatest  pain ;  and  as  I  am  resolved 
my  conduct  shall  in  future  be  perfectly  consistent — the 
same  complaint  I  shall  have  reason  to  make  abroad  must 
be  repeated,  and  loudly,  at  home. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  John  Lettice 

FoNTHILL,  5th  Oct.,  1796. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

I  hear  with  great  satisfaction  that  you  got  safe  to 
Town,  that  you  dined  in  your  House  in  Grosvenor 

Q 


/ 


242  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Square  (for  my  Houses  are  all  yours)  .  .  .  and  that  you 
are  enjoying  a  long  series  of  pleasing  Expectations. 

I  am  ready  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  the  Charmer,  but 
I  rather  doubt  whether  in  the  present  case  he  charms 
wisely!  The  profound  Silence  still  observed  by  the 
Boatman  contrasts  powerfully  with  the  Military  rattle  of 
Drums  which  caught  your  best  Ear  at  Salisbury.  The 
flourish  must  be  loud  and  brilliant  indeed  for  me  to 
attend  it.  The  weather  is  dark  and  gloomy  and  it  has 
begun  to  rain  with  violence.  I  have  been  lighting  up  my 
Imagination  with  Owen's  Travels.  He  describes  Scenes 
in  the  rankest  low  German,  Dutch  and  Hambro  Life, 
without  the  smallest  affectation,  with  the  utmost  Truth, 
and  yet,  strange  to  say,  with  the  utmost  Elegance.  His 
descriptions  are  concise,  but  clear  and  full  of  picturesque, 
nay,  poetic  Feeling,  in  short ;  I  am  enchanted  with  the 
book  and  agree  with  you  in  assigning  its  Author  the  first 
rank  in  the  first  Class  of  our  Modern  Travellers,  ours  I 
say  ;  for  the  French  travel  more  agreeably  than  we  do — 
with  Superior  warmth,  fluency  and  Sprightliness — witness 
Vaillant,  Savary,  Volney,  Dupaty,  St.  Pierre,  and  many 
others.  I  only  wish  he  had  not  been  quite  so  spiteful 
and  malicious  in  his  Sarcastic  remarks  upon  poor  old 
Mother  Babylon's  last  stage,  whose  Beast  lies  prostrate  in 
the  very  slough  of  Despond,  bleeding  out  its  existence  at 
every  broken  Horn — on  one  side — the  Scarlet  Robe  sweep- 
ing the  mire — on  t'other  the  exhausted  Cup,  for  she  can 
now  scarcely  command  a  thimble  full  of  abomination  to 
keep  the  cramp  of  death  out  of  her  aged  Stomach.  Mr. 
Owen  should  have  disdained  such  easy  triumph,  nor  have 
increased  her  parting  agonies  by  such  bitter  taunts  and 
revilings. 

The  Revd.  Mr.  Gray,  a  predecessor  of  Mr.  Owen's  in 
this  spiritual  hunting  down  of  the  old  Enemy,  has  been 
more  merciful  in  his  Severity,  He  is  for  putting  her  out 
of  her  pain  at  once,  and  sinking  her  Stall,  her  Feeders, 
her  Worshippers,  nay,  all  those  who  happen  to  be  within 
30  or  40  Leagues  of  her  Limits,  the  eternal  City,  the 
Campagna,  the  fairest  fields  of  Italy,  in  one  flaming 
Volcano,  which  he  piously  flatters  himself  (nay,  expects) 
is  on  the  point  of  bursting  forth  in  the  very  bosom  of 
Latium  for  this  glorious  purpose.  There  is  a  prophet  for 
you  ! — with  such  a  one  in  holy  orders  who  would  give  a 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  243 

fig  for  Brothers  or  any  other  Quack  without  the  pale  of 
the  Orthodox  Church  ?  Did  you  ever  chance  to  read  this 
charitable  Father  s  Sermons,  explanations  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, or  Travels  ?  If  you  have  dipped  into  the  latter, 
a  snug  little  passage  may  have  struck  your  Eyes  concern- 
ing me,  whom  he  treats  with  as  little  Christian  Charity  as 
the  other  unfortunate  beings  who  are  to  expiate  in  sul- 
phureous Flames  the  crime  of  being  domiciled  in  the 
Pope's  Neighbourhood. 

Mr.  Williams  received  your  Errhartian  paragraph  in 
due  course — it  will  appear  next  Saturday  and  is  just  what 
it  should  be. 

My  Mother  has  appointed  the  16th  for  her  setting 
forth  on  her  journey  hither.  I  need  not  add  how  im- 
patient I  feel  to  see  you  once  more  in  this  region  of 
Magic  dells.  Mountain  and  endless  Forest. 

The  Convent  advances — the  walk  extends — everything 
goes  on,  except  Goody  Portland  s  Boat,  which  seems 
doomed  to  remain  a  useless  Hulk  to  all  Eternity.  Be 
assured  dear  Sir,  that,  whether  aground  or  afloat,  I  shall 
always  feel  myself  with  cordial  regard. 

Your  AfFt., 
Hie  Sevt, 

W.  BECKFORD. 


William  Beckford  to  Colonel  Hamilton 
Dear  Sir, 

It  cannot  be  without  concern  that  I  receive  your 
account  of  Made,  de  Fay  s  present  distress.  That  I  may 
not  be  supposed  to  have  neglected  her  since  she  first 
wanted  assistance  I  now  find  myself  obliged  to  disclose 
what  has  hitherto  been  a  Secret  and  that  even  from  her- 
self, namely,  that  an  Annual  Resource  which  she  acknow- 
ledges to  have  received  from  some  unknown  quarter,  is  a 
pension  of  one  hundred  pounds  a  year  from  me.  Nor 
ought  I  perhaps  in  Justice  to  myself  to  conceal,  that 
when  I  assigned  it  some  Years  ago,  Madame  de  Fay  was 
nearer  to  me  as  a  R,elative  than  as  a  Friend.  I  had  been 
as  little  obliged  to  her  Candour  as  she  is  to  good  Fortune. 
I,  however,  sincerely  feel  for  her  Situation  and  am  not 


/ 


244  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

only  disposed  to  continue  the  Yearly  Assistance  above 
mentioned  ;  but  will,  in  consequence  of  your  Application, 
gladly  encourage  by  my  own  Example  any  disposition 
which  may  appear  in  the  Head  or  Members  of  our 
Family  to  alleviate  the  actual  pressure  of  her  Circum- 
stances. 

After  the  Explanations  into  which  I  have  entered 
above  and  to  which  I  could  add  the  attention  I  have 
obliged  myself  annually  to  pay  to  numerous  other  Claims 
or  Solicitations  which  the  extreme  difficulty  of  the  Times 
is  frequently  multiplying  upon  me,  I  must  consider 
myself  as  dispensed  from  offering  any  Augmentation 
of  Madame  de  Fay's  Annuity,  which  however  I  hope 
neither  her  Age  nor  Infirmities  will  prevent  her  receiving 
for  many  years  to  come. 

I  shall  communicate  to  my  Mother  the  Letters  you 
have  sent  me  and  I  request  the  favor  of  you  when  you 
write  to  Made,  de  Fay  to  acquaint  her  that  she  will 
shortly  receive  a  temporary  Assistance  thro'  the  same 
Channel  by  which  the  Annuity  is  remitted ;  at  the  same 
time  entreating  her  to  observe  that  no  acknowledgements 
for  the  Past  or  Solicitations  for  the  Future  addressed  to 
me  will  receive  any  attention. 

I  am,  Dear  Sir, 

Your  very  obedient  and 
Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD. 

Nov.,  1796. 


William  Beckford  to  Ozias  Humphry,  Esqr. 

Old  Bond  Street,  London. 

Sir, 

I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  obliging  Readings  with 
which  you  have  interested  yourself  for  me  respecting  the 
Box  at  the  Opera.  Tho'  I  care  little  of  what  Feather  the 
Fowls  are  I  am  to  be  placed  next,  I  am  very  averse  to 
perching  so  high ;  therefore,  a  Situation  in  the  Upper 
Row  you  mention  would  not  suit  me.  This  Bird's  Eye 
View  of  the  Stage  and  the  Audience  brings  rather  too 
strongly  to  Mind  the  Gods  of  Drury  Lane  and  Covent 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  245 


Garden.  But  were  I  to  find  myself  in  their  lofty  position 
I  should  rather  resemble  the  Deities  of  Epicurus  and 
neither  know  or  care  what  might  be  doing  in  a  World  so 
much  below  me.  If  a  good  opportunity  should  offer  of 
procuring  me  a  Station  in  the  lower  Regions  of  the  air  I 
should  be  much  gratified  by  the  communication. 

Sir  George  Young's  Disposition  on  the  score  of  our 
old  Acquaintance  of  having  accommodated  me  had  it  been 
in  his  power  is  extremely  obliging  and  demands  my 
acknowledgements  when  you  see  him. 

I  am  happy  to  hear  of  your  intention  to  accompany 
Mr.  Wyatt  to  Fonthill,  and  if  you  can  find  means  of 
quickening  his  tendency  towards  Wiltshire  I  shall  be 
more  than  doubly  a  Gainer  of  your  being  of  the  party. 
Be  assured  of  the  regard  with  which  I  remain,  Sir, 

Very  sincerely, 

Yr.  Hie.  Servant, 

Fonthill,  W,  BECKFORD. 

29th  Novr.,  1796. 


William  Beckford  to  the  Margravine  of  Anspach 

Fonthill,  igtk  Jan.,  1797. 

1  am  as  hoarse  as  a  Frog  and  croak  dismally.  This 
wretched  Climate  whether  on  the  Banks  of  the  Thames 
or  on  those  of  the  humble  River  Nadder  which  be- vapours 
Fonthill  is  equally  abominable.  Nothing  short  of  Yr. 
Star  could  enliven  our  soaking  Country  or  render  it  in  any 
degree  tolerable.  Commend  me  to  K's  joke  about  .Lady 
Narcissa — 1  enjoy  it  prodigiously.  Turbot  did  quite  right 
in  not  epistolizing  me — I  hate  Letters  of  application  or 
remuneration  or  any  other  ation. 

How  do  you  like  Evelina  ?  I  always  thought  some  of 
the  Chorusses,  the  Duett,  etc.,  equal  to  Sacchini's  finest 
juvenile  performances ;  and  yet  he  was  almost  besotted 
with  liqueurs  and  Maccaroni  pye  when  he  composed  this 
Opera.  Too  copious  a  dose  of  the  good  things  just 
mentioned  put  him  out  just  as  he  had  got  into  the  Third 
Act.  Pray,  if  the  rot  should  continue  in  the  great  family 
you  know  where,  have  you  not  a  chance  of  becoming  a 
Queen  ?  I  doubt  much  whether  that  forehead  of  yours 
does  not  teem  with  a  Regal  Diadem.    I  should  not  at  all 


/ 


246  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

be  surprized  at  its  breaking  out.  Some  Constitutions 
breed  the  small-pox  without  inoculation  or  infection  and 
others  Royalty.    Yours  is  up  to  everything. 

Have  you  heard  of  the  roastings  vv^hole  and  the  most 
monstrous punch-bov^ls  and  the  ten  thousand  paunch-fillers 
and  the  other  coarse  grandeurs  at  Fonthill  ?  Some  of 
the  papers  are  almost  choaked  up  w^ith  descriptions  of 
them,  dull  enough  ;  but  not  in  the  least  exaggerated, 
which  is  odd  ;  but  everything  was  so  huge  they  could  not 
magnify  it.  I  wish  you  had  seen  the  great  Tent  where 
seven  hundred  persons  eat  themselves  3  parts  dead.  It 
measured  85  by  70 — Williams  has  an  admirable  Knack  at 
these  sudden  constructions.  .  .  . 

The  Margrave  whose  serene  goodness  pardons  all  my 
nonsense  will  plead  for  me  and  not  be  offended  at  my 
taking  the  Liberty  of  assuring  you  that  I  am,  with  sincere 
bluntness, 

Yr.  affectionate  friend, 

THE  ARAB. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Henley 
Sir, 

The  Circumstance  of  your  Letter  coming  on  a 
Saturday  obliges  me  to  lose  a  day  in  returning  an  answer 
to  it,  which  I  do  with  Concern,  as  the  pressure  of  your 
affairs  demands  speedy  assistance,  and  with  much  more, 
because  the  numerous  applications  from  Persons  with 
whom  I  am  nearly  or  remotely  connected,  and  whose 
Claims  I  regard  as  indisputable,  compel  me,  in  order  to  be 
just  to  them  and  to  myself,  absolutely  to  confine  within 
certain  Limits  my  inclination  to  assist  Distress. 

At  the  same  time,  that  an  Attention  equally  due  to 
persons  to  whom  I  stand  engaged  and  to  myself,  imposes 
upon  me  the  necessity  of  not  complying  with  the  applica- 
tion you  address  to  me,  I  feel  some  satisfaction  in  observ- 
ing that  you  possess  a  Security  of  such  a  nature  as  cannot 
fail  to  procure  you  the  Sum  you  want.  Other  Resources 
too,  I  am  persuaded,  cannot  be  wanting  to  a  Clergyman 
of  Character  and  Talents  and  of  such  Connections  [as]  you 
are  known  to  possess. 

I  heartily  wish  the  Cloud,  which  hangs  over  your  affairs, 
may  soon  be  dissipated,  and  that  a  return  of  tranquillity 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  247 

of  mind  may  allow  you  to  employ  to  advantage  those 
literary  exertions  for  which  you  are  eminently  distinguished. 
I  am.  Sir, 

Your  very  obedt.  &  humble  Sert, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD.* 

19tk  March,  1197. 


William  Beckford  to  Nicholas  Williams,  at  Paris 

FoNTHiLL,  nth  July,  1797. 

I  perfectly  agree  with  you  in  the  propriety  of  your 
remaining  in  France  till  the  Mouron  business,  &c.,  &c.,  &c., 
is  settled.  Methinks  Monsieur  Mouron  was  in  a  great 
hurry — 

Follow  up  closely  the  great  point  of  restitution ;  and 
amongst  other  objects,  enquire  after  a  certain  China  bason 
mounted  on  3  griffins  of  gilt  bronze,  which  was  amongst 
my  effects  at  Calais. — I  believe  this  piece  of  China  may 
be  ranked  amongst  the  first  specimens  of  porcelain  in 
Europe.  As  the  great  mass  of  my  property  lay  at  Calais 
I  recommend  y''  utmost  vigilance  in  hunting  it  out.  There 
were  two  small  Japan  Cabinets  at  Calais,  one  in  the  shape 
of  a  sort  of  a  baby  House  with  galleries  and  sliding  Doors, 
&c. ;  the  other  with  rich  folding  doors  inlaid  with  Mother  of 
pearl  and  gold  Mosaic  in  the  style  of  the  Box  Wyatt 
bought  for  me.  Both  should  be  gotten  back  if  possible — 
the  first  was  the  gift  of  my  relation,  the  late  D"  of 
Queensbury. 

I  am  extremely  happy  to  hear  of  the  Claudes  and  the 
Japans — obtain,  I  particularly  desire,  the  best  information 
and  proposals  you  can  concerning  them.  I  have  set  my 
heart  upon  them.  You  will  take  care,  no  doubt,  to  add 
proper  fewel  (sic)  to  Sanrage's  Zeal  by  thanking  and 
remunerating  him  with  cordial  Liberality.  For  material 
points  I  make  no  doubt  of  your  acting  with  the  same 
caution  and  yet  energy  as  in  those  of  smaller  import. 
Nothing  can  be  more  grateful,  more  satisfactory,  to  me 
than  the  style  of  your  proceedings. 

*  Henley  in  1805  was  appointed  principal  of  the  newly  established 
East  India  College  at  Hertford,  subsequently  known  as  Haileybury.  He 
held  this  position  until  January  1815.  He  died  on  the  following 
December  29. 


248 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


My  ideas  (though  I  never  had  the  plaisir  of  seeing  the 
friend  of  the  rough  gentleman)  coincide  intirely  with 
yours.  W atch  Auguste  well,  and  take  care  his  debts  to 
me  are  faithfully  paid.  He  is  a  slippery  Eel ;  but  if  he 
escapes  your  harpoon  I  shall  be  much  mistaken.  .  .  . 

William  Beckford  to  Nicholas  Williams  at  Paris 

9.^'^  August,  1191. 

I  am  sorry  you  have  more  rascals  than  the  Eel  to  deal 
with.  Clarisson  was  paid  infulL  You  cannot  pursue  the 
slimy  reptile  above-mentioned  with  too  much  caution  and 
perseverance. 

I  was  rejoiced  at  receiving  a  letter  from  my  dear  old 
Delamotte — I  wish  to  God  he  could  get  out  of  his 
troubles  and  take  up  his  abode  once  for  all  under  my 
Roof — Errhart  w*^  take  care  of  his  health,  and  I  of  every 
thing  else.    Try  to  bring  him  over. 

I  am  happy  that  you  are  in  possession  of  my  Catalogue, 
which  will  help  you  without  much  difficulty  to  a  perfect 
List  of  the  French  Books  at  Calais  procured  by  Chardin. 
Amongst  the  English  you  will  find  Johnson  and  Fielding's 
works,  &;c.,  and  one  of  the  finest  sets  extant  of  the  poets 
in  a  vast  number  of  vols.,  12'',  morocco.  La  vie  de  Marie 
Antoinette,  Paul  et  Virginie,La  chaumiere  indienne,  Oeuvres 
deMoliere,  Oeuvre  de  Florian, — La  Pucelle,  &;c.,  &c., — all 
these  are  beautiful  little  volumes  in  morocco,  lined  with 
Silk. 

I  cannot  express  how  concerned  I  am  to  hear  of  your 
indisposition.  It  will  give  you  comfort  to  learn  that  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  Mrs.  Williams  and  your  Young  at 
Salisbury  t'other  day  in  perfect  health.  She  longs  to  see 
you,  but  is  much  flattered  by  the  attentions  you  are 
receiving  from  the  first  Power  in  the  World.  You  were 
right  in  keeping  up  my  Interest,  by  receiving  the  respect- 
able persons  you  mention  with  Civility  &  liberal  kindness. 
The  public  here  are  not  even  yet  sufficiently  impressed 
with  the  peculiar  marks  of  friendship  shewn  to  me  in  your 
person.  .  .  .  All  your  actions  should  tend  to  this  grand 
point  which  under  your  prudent  yet  energetic  manage- 
ment may  prove  of  the  utmost  Consequence, — 

You  are  in  possession  of  my  Sentiments  respecting  the 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  249 


Bouillon  Collection.  No  pains  should  be  spared  to  attempt 
getting  hold  of  it.  I  am,  in  fact,  still  more  anxious  about 
the  Japans  than  the  pictures — and  surely  they  might  be 
induced  to  part  with  the  whole  of  them  in  a  Lump  and  for 
a  good  price  which  nobody  else  can  or  would  give  them — 
for  these  small  trifling  toys  cannot  be  very  precious  in  any 
eyes  except  such  as  are  affected  with  the  Japan-mania  in  a 
violent  incurable  degree. 

The  Abbey  goes  on  magnificently.  Give  Chardin 
commission  to  look  out  for  fine  Tapestry  and  look  about 
yourself  for  some — much  will  be  wanted  and  I  should  think 
might  be  purchased  cheap.  How  came  Chardin  not  to 
write  to  me  as  well  as  Delamotte,  now  I  have  ceased  being 
in  [illegible],  I  pray  fervently  to  the  Glorious  Saint 
(who,  by  the  bye,  has  brought  home  safe  all  my  ships, 
24  in  no.,  without  a  penny  insurance)  that  the  success  of 
your  endeavours  may  shortly  restore  you  to  your  family 
and  to  Fonthill. 

Assure  Perregaux  of  my  aff  regard  and  receive  your- 
self the  assurance  of  those  kindly  sentiments  with  which 
I  am  most  sincerely  yours 

W.  BECKFORD. 

Could  you  establish  a  good  Correspondence  for  Wine  ? 
I  am  in  great  want  of  Claret,  Barsac,  Cognac,  Champagne, 
Burgundy,  &c.  It  might  be  managed.  SchoU  mentioned 
some  super-excellent  at  Calais.  Write  to  him  at  Lausanne, 
if  you  have  time,  and  he  will  impart  all  his  stock  of 
information.  The  Spanish  Wines  turn  out  ill.  So  that 
there  is  end  of  my  admiration  of  Mr.  Bell. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Walter,  Bergh  Apton, 

Norwich 

My  Dear  Madam, 

The  Times  are  so  menacing,  and  the  Calls  upon  me 
from  the  universal  Distress  of  my  Neighbourhood  so  loud 
and  numerous,  that  it  will  not  be  in  my  Power  to  comply 
with  a  Request  which  nothing  but  the  Exigencies  of  the 
present  moment  could  have  obliged  me  to  refuse. 

Be  assured,  my  dear  Madam,  that  the  Conviction  I 
entertain  of  the  precariousness  of  all  Fortunes  and  Property 


/ 


250  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

at  this  Period  alone  prevents  my  approving  in  the  manner 

you  point  out  those  Sentiments  of  particular  Regard  with 

which  I  have  the  Honour  to  be. 

Your  Affectionate  & 

Most  obedient 

Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD. 

17 tk  Jany.,  1798. 

My  best  Compliments  attend  Mr.  Walter. 

William  Beckford  to  Mrs.  Nevill  Walter,  Bergh 

Apton,  Norwich 

My  Dear  Madam, 

My  Answer  to  your  former  Letter,  little  as  it  might 
coincide  with  your  Expectations  or  your  Wishes,  was  at 
least  conceived  in  such  Terms  as,  I  trust,  could  leave  you 
no  Cause  to  accuse  me  of  wanting  either  Respect  or 
Feeling.  From  the  Nature  of  the  Conjuncture  and  the 
Imperiousness  of  Circumstances,  comibined  with  my 
Engagements  in  behalf  of  many  who  at  different  Times 
had  sought  my  Assistance,  arose  what  appeared  to  me,  at 
the  Moment  of  your  Application,  a  justifiable  Reason  for 
not  acceding  to  your  Wishes. 

A  great  and  expensive  Work  I  am  engaged  in  at 
Fonthill,  and  to  which  you  alluded  in  your  last  Letter, 
was  undertaken  two  years  ago  at  a  time  of  greater  public 
Security,  for  the  Sake  of  giving  Employment  to  a  Multi- 
tude of  people  in  an  indigent  Neighbourhood.  Begun 
from  that  motive,  which  my  Friends  and  the  World  in 
general  have  approved,  and  which  seemed  to  myself 
almost  a  Duty,  such  an  Undertaking  however  could  not 
have  been  thought  of  in  the  gloomier  Times  which  have 
succeeded.  But  begun,  as  it  was,  nothing  except  the  most 
absolute  Necessity  could  form  an  allowable  plea  to  recede. 

The  Menaces  of  Invasion,  together  with  the  continu- 
ally increasing  Demands  of  the  State  to  prepare  us  for 
Resistance,  Demands  falling  heavily  upon  Individuals  in 
proportion  to  the  greatness  of  their  Property,  were  Cir- 
cumstances which  a  few  Months  ago  very  seriously  affected 
me  in  common  with  every  Gentleman  of  property  in  the 
Kingdom.    They  were  such,  indeed,  as  forbad  my  yielding 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  251 


to  any  new  Demands  however  inconsiderable,  till  the 
Aspect  of  things  should  be  a  little  changed  for  the  better. 
Unwilling  to  despair,  I  find  myself  now  yielding  to  the 
general  persuasion,  that  our  National  preparations  have 
prevented  any  fatal  Execution  of  the  menaces  of  France. 

Under  the  Influence  of  Hope  I  shall  feel  much  satis- 
faction in  alleviating  to  yourself  and  Mr.  Walter,  your 
brother,  the  new  Assessments  by  the  annual  payment  of 
the  Sum  you  mention  in  your  last  Letter. 

The  first  shall  be  ordered  for  Midsummer  Day  next  to 
be  made  into  any  Hands  in  London  you  will  please  to 
appoint. 

With  my  kindest  Complts.  to  Mr.  Walter  I  have  the 
Honour  to  remain. 

My  Dear  Madam, 

Your  most  affectionate 

&  Obedt.  Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHTLL,  W.  BECKFORD, 

5th  June^  1798. 

William  Beckford  to  R.  Bowyer,  Historic  Gallery, 

Pall  Mall 

Sir, 

My  Affairs  for  these  few  days  past  having  happened 
to  demand  more  than  a  usual  share  of  my  Attention,  1 
have  not  been  able  to  return  an  earlier  Answer  to  your 
polite  Application. 

Your  important  Work  of  our  National  History  reflects 
so  much  Honour  on  the  British  Arts,  that  I  could  not 
hear  without  Concern,  that  the  Conductor  of  so  noble  an 
Undertaking  should  meet  with  Difficulties  he  might  not 
have  expected.  So  far,  however,  as  it  is  your  wish  to 
obviate  them  by  the  Sale  of  the  two  Paintings  of  which 
you  have  obligingly  offered  me  the  Refusal,  I  should  hope 
and  suppose  from  their  acknowledged  Merit  you  are  likely 
to  experience  little  Disappointment  when  your  Intention 
of  parting  with  them  is  sufficiently  known.  But  with 
Respect  to  my  own  particular  plan  of  collecting  for  my 
Gothic  Edifice;  the  pieces  in  question  would  on  no  Account 
be  adapted  to  it.  Subjects  of  a  grave,  religious  Cast  will 
in  general  best  suit  the  solemnity  of  its  character,  and 
except  for  the  Decoration  of  Windows  and  of  certain 


252 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Scenes  of  a  peculiar  Sort  in  the  Abbey  modern  Painting 
will  not  answer  my  views,  and  I  shall  be  obliged  chiefly 
to  turn  my  Researches  toward  the  old  School  of  Italy. 

I  nevertheless  feel  myself  flattered  by  the  Offer  you 
have  made  me  and  hope  you  will  have  little  Trouble  in 
finding  such  a  Purchaser  as  your  Loutherbourgs  deserve. 
I  am,  Sir,  most  sincerely, 
Yr.  obedient  & 

very  Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD. 

5th  July,  1798. 

William  Beckford  to  James  Wadsworth 

FoNTHiLL,  Itk  Sept.,  1798. 

Dear  Sir, 

I  am  much  flattered  by  the  Impressions  with  which 
you  and  our  Friends  quitted  Fonthill.  I,  on  my  part 
received  the  highest  Satisfaction  from  the  V^isit,  and  shall 
heartily  rejoice  in  any  concurrence  of  Circumstances,  which 
may  hereafter  occasion  it  to  be  repeated. 

Your  kind  wishes  that  my  Assistance  may  not,  at  a 
future  period,  be  denied  to  the  Councils  of  my  Country 
are  highly  obliging.  How  far  it  may  hereafter  be  de- 
manded I  cannot  tell ;  but  the  majority  of  those  who 
manage  its  affairs  at  present  are  not  likely  soon  to  pardon 
me  for  having  put  to  the  Test  the  Sincerity  of  their 
Declarations  of  desiring  to  restore  Peace  and  my  having 
been  instrumental  in  conveying  to  them,  at  three  different 
Times  after  the  failure  of  Ld.  Malmesbury's  last  Embassy, 
Overtures  from  the  French  Ministry  to  that  purpose,  and 
those  such  as  they  did  not  pretend  to  disapprove,  assign- 
ing no  better  Reason  for  the  rejection  of  them  than  that 
they  were  offered  thro'  a  private  Channel. 

It  is  extremely  gratifying  to  me  to  see  my  Father's 
Name  brought  forward  with  so  much  Regard  on  the  Sub- 
ject of  promoting  such  Terms  of  Intercourse  between  the 
U.  States  and  the  West  Indies  as  should  merit  the  Appro- 
bation of  both  Countries.  Were  Occasion  to  offer  of  my 
shewing  to  effectual  Purpose  how  nearly  my  own  Senti- 
ments concur  with  his  Object,  I  should  scarcely  need  his 
Example  to  animate  my  Efforts  to  the  same  End.  In 
your  Letter  to  Mr.  Williams  you  express  a  Desire  of 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  253 

Knowing  what  I  think  of  Mr.  Goutier's  Proposition  of 
setting  a  Swiss  Colony  in  the  U.  States.  You  do  me 
great  Honour  in  asking  my  Opinion  upon  this  Subject, 
and  still  more  in  the  weight  you  seem  disposed  to 
give  it. 

Apart  from  all  Consideration  or  Estimate  of  the 
Political  or  Moral  Character  of  the  Swiss  Adventurers, 
who  wish  to  purchase  Lands  in  America,  or  of  the 
Inhabitants  from  their  Country  with  whom  they  propose 
to  colonize  them,  your  own  Opinion,  that  the  Inhabi- 
tants of  the  U.  States,  now  5,000,000,  will  probably  be 
doubled  in  twenty  years,  appears  to  have  led  you  wisely 
to  conclude,  that,  at  this  Time  of  Day,  they  can  stand  in 
little  need  of  Colonies  from  Europe. 

The  difference  between  the  New  and  Old  World  in 
regard  to  the  Ability  of  increasing  their  respective  Inhabi- 
tants in  a  given  Time  is  prodigious.  From  Major  Allen's 
account  of  the  late  Augmentation  of  the  Inhabitants  of 
Vermont  and  from  the  Calculations  established  upon  his 
Data,  your  Opinion  upon  this  Subject  seems  strongly  con- 
firmed. This,  too,  is  a  Case  in  point,  nor  would  there  be 
any  Difficulty  of  producing  many  parallel  ones  from 
Countries  newly  brought  into  Cultivation. 

It  is  not,  however,  from  the  abundant  Productiveness 
of  new  Lands  and  the  consequent  Facility  of  Human 
Subsistence  we  are  solely  to  infer  the  rapid  Increase  of 
Population  in  America  beyond  that  of  most  Countries  in 
Europe;  where,  according  to  Adam  Smith,  the  Inhabi- 
tants are  not  supposed  to  double  in  a  less  space  than  five 
hundred  years.  Our  forms  of  Civil  Government,  the 
Luxury  of  the  Rich,  the  extreme  Poverty  of  the  Poor, 
long,  frequent  and  bloody  Wars,  large  Fleets  and  standing 
Armies,  Celibacy  enjoined  by  Monastic  Institutions,  Ser- 
vitude of  Peasantry  and  other  Feudal  Oppressions,  will 
go  far  to  account  for  this  remarkable  Difference  in  the 
increase  of  our  Species,  to  the  disadvantage  of  Europe.  If 
this  Statement  be  true,  it  may  fairly  be  asked  whether  the 
U.  States  would  not  more  prudently  trust  to  the  sure  and 
rapid  Increase  of  People  from  their  Native  Stock  and  wait 
a  few  years  for  a  Race  congenial  to  their  own  Climates, 
Manners,  Habits,  Principles,  and  Institutions,  than  hastily 
recur  to  Colonies  of  Strangers  from  an  old  decrepit  World, 
whose  Principles,  Moral,  Religious,  and  political,  are 


254 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


universally  shaken  and  unsettled  and  too  generally  changed 
and  corrupted,  if  not  in  many  Countries  intirely  annihilated. 

In  such  a  suspicious  State  of  European  Society  can 
America,  with  her  present  flourishing  Population,  apply 
to  Europe  for  Colonists?  But  I  shall  not  fulfil  your 
Request  if  I  quit  this  Subject  without  a  few  words  on 
Switzerland.  It  is  true,  I  have  lived  much  in  different 
parts  of  that  Country  and  have  had  opportunities  of  observ- 
ing its  Inhabitants,  both  before  and  since  the  French 
Revolution.  I  am,  too,  in  frequent  Correspondence  with 
some  enlightened  Persons  of  that  Country,  who  are  them- 
selves observers.  I  may  add,  that  I  went  into  Switzerland 
with  every  prepossession  in  favour  of  that  People ;  and 
twenty  years  ago  with  the  exception  of  a  few  Towns,  which 
from  the  Vicinity  of  their  Situation  to  France  and  other 
Circumstances  well-known,  were  then  refined  out  of  their 
ancient  Simplicity  of  Manners,  my  partialities  for  the 
Country  in  general  were  rather  strengthened  than  dimi- 
nished. But  since  that  Period,  from  the  continual  influx 
of  idle  and  opulent  Foreigners  from  all  Nations  into  every 
part  of  Switzerland  thro'  motives  of  Curiosity,  and,  above 
all,  the  infection  of  French  Manners  and  French  Philosophy 
as  it  is  called,  the  Influence  of  which  the  Revolution  has 
so  rapidly  extended,  the  Habits  and  Principles  of  the  Swiss 
are  almost  universally  changed.  Whether  for  the  Better 
or  the  Worse  the  more  enlightened  Inhabitants  of  the 
U.  States,  not  yet  revolutionized  out  of  the  maxims  of 
ancient  Wisdom  and  Experience,  are  well  able  to  judge. 
Were  it  admitted  that  two  or  three  of  the  German  Can- 
tons and  part  of  the  Grisons  almost  inaccessibly  situated 
in  the  remoter  Alps,  remain  uncontaminated  amidst  this 
Revolutionary  Corruption,  these  are  the  People  most 
wedded  to  their  Mountains  and  very  unlikely  to  embark 
in  Schemes  of  Migration  across  the  Atlantic,  to  exercise 
the  Labours  of  Husbandry  for  a  few  wealthy  Adventurers, 
to  whom  they  are  probably  Strangers.  It  should  seem 
therefore  very  problematical  whether  the  Bankers  you 
mention,  however  good  their  meaning,  have  it  in  their 
power  to  chuse  and  to  carry  over  to  America  Labourers 
and  Artificers  of  such  a  Character  as  may  deserve  Recep- 
tion from  a  wise  and  prudent  People.  Nor  is  it  easy  to 
discover  by  what  Influence  or  by  what  Connections  in 
France  the  Leaders  of  this  Adventure  may  now  or  here- 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  255 


after  be  secretly  actuated.  If  the  Scheme  should,  after  a 
few  years,  prove  no  better  than  having  sown  our  Tares 
among  your  Wheat  it  will  be  a  bitter,  but  too  late,  a 
Reflection  to  say  "  An  Enemy  hath  done  this." 

Thus,  Sir,  I  have  with  equal  Sincerity  and  Freedom 
stated  my  private  Sentiments  on  your  Question  of  the 
expediency  of  augmenting  the  Population  of  the  U.  States 
by  new  European  Colonies.  They  have  been  solely  dic- 
tated by  my  warm  regard  for  a  Country  connected  by  so 
many  relations  with  my  own  ;  a  Country  apparently  des- 
tined to  become  the  first  in  the  World,  the  grandeur  of 
whose  maturity  may  well  be  augured  from  a  state  of 
Adolescence  which  has  produced  Characters  already 
revered  as  the  Benefactors  of  Mankind. 

I  am.  Dear  Sir,  with  great  regard, 
most  sincerely, 
Yr.  Obed.  &  very  Hble  Servt., 

W.  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Wakefield 
Sir, 

Your  Application  has  obliged  me.  You  represent 
the  World,  as  inclined  to  speak  favourably  of  my  Collec- 
tion of  Books.  I  will  allow  no  Body  an  Opportunity  of 
saying  anything  so  much  to  its  disadvantage,  as  its  not 
possessing  your  fine  Edition  of  Lucretius.  I  am  no 
Stranger  to  the  high  Esteem  it  has  obtained  among 
literary  Men,  and  am  sorry,  that  any  Circumstance  should 
prevent  its  immediate  Currency  to  the  wide  extent  it 
deserves  both  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  Typographical  Merit  of  this  admirable  Book  would 
have  claimed  some  share  of  my  Notice;  but  that  it  is 
edited  by  the  first  Critic  of  the  age  makes  me  happy  in 
seizing  the  earliest  Moment  to  procure  it  from  his  own 
hands.  May  I  trouble  you  to  order  me  two  L.  P.  Copies  to 
Fonthill  by  the  safest  Conveyance  you  can  find  ?  Please  to 
send  me  a  Line  with  a  minute  of  the  price,  and  to  acquaint 
me  into  what  hands  you  wish  the  Remittance  to  be  made. 
I  am.  Sir, 

Your  very  obedient  Servant, 

Fonthill,  W.  BECKFORD. 

July  24>th,  1799. 


/ 


256  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

1^  William  Beckford  to  Humphrey  Repton 
Sir, 

The  Letter  with  which  you  favored  me  I  met  on 
my  arrival  at  Falmouth  about  ten  days  ago. 

It  is  impossible  not  to  be  flattered  with  an  offer  to 
contribute  to  the  Ornament  of  my  place  from  an  Artist 
of  your  Eminence  and  Celebrity ;  but  Nature  has  been 
liberal  to  Fonthill,  and  some  Embellishment  it  has  received 
from  Art,  has  fortunately  gained  so  much  the  Approbation 
of  my  friends  that  my  Partiality  to  it  in  its  present  state 
will  not  perhaps  be  thought  altogether  inexcusable.  I 
am,  nevertheless,  much  honoured  and  obliged  in  your 
having  thought  Fonthill  considerable  enough  to  merit 
your  attention. 

I  am.  Sir 

Your  very  obedient, 
and  Humble  Servant, 

Fonthill,  W.  BECKFORD. 

^Uh  July,  1799. 

William  Beckford  to  Sir  Isaac  Heard 

My  Dear  Sir  Isaac, 

Renounce  the  little  Sippings  you  talk  of,  at  least 
for  the  moment  and  resolve  vigorously  to  take  a  good 
Comfortable  potation  of  the  Holy  and  limpid  Waters  of 
the  Abbey  fountain.  Remember  they  are  under  St. 
Anthony's  especial  protection,  who  will  bless  all  your 
goings  out  and  goings  in.  My  Faith  in  this  miraculous 
Personage  is  so  very  lively,  that  I  almost  flatter  myself 
he  will  inspire  Lady  Heard  with  a  wish  of  visiting  his 
shrine  and  his  humble  votary.  I  promise  her  Ladyship 
perfect  quiet,  and  perfect  freedom ;  such  as  is  the  service 
of  St.  Anthony. 

Now,  my  dear  Sir  Isaac,  exert  yourself  to  Second 
these  pious  intentions.  Assure  Lady  Heard  that  she  shall 
not  be  worn  to  death  with  seeing  Sights,  nor  crammed  to 
satiety  with  French  Ragouts,  nor  pressed  into  rumbling 
Carriages,  nor  drenched  with  unwholesome  dews  by 
Evening  Excursions,  nor  worried  out  of  Bed  in  the 
Morning  to  drive  to  Kitchen  or  flower  gardens.  Alms- 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  257 


Houses  or  Pigeon-Houses,  Farms,  Temples  or  Plantations. 
At  my  University  no  such  proceedings  are  to  be  dreaded. 
I  read  no  Lectures,  I  go  no  Rounds,  I  try  no  Experi- 
ments, I  go  my  own  way,  and  wish  everybody  that  comes 
to  me  to  do  the  same.  Give  my  Compliments  to  Mr. 
Beltz  and  put  him  in  mind  of  my  real  and  sincere  desire 
of  seeing  him  once  more  in  this  unceremonious  Region. 
With  every  friendly  good  wish  believe  me,  dear  Sir, 

Your  most  faithful  and 

Obedient  Servant, 

W.  BECKFORD. 

I*can  find  no  terms  to  express  my  Heraldic  Horror  at 
a  certain  new  ...  all  over  Elephant's  Snouts  doomed  to 
disgrace  St.  George's  Chapel.  How  the  old  Cadgers  and 
Cottagers  of  this  Name  and  still  more  vulgar  Arms  will 
stare  and  chuckle  when  they  pay  their  twopences  to  see 
the  King's  Windsor  and  their  Banner ! 

FoNTHiLL,  Friday,  \Qth  August,  1799. 

William  Beckford  to  Sir  William  Hamilton, 
at  Palermo 

My  Dear  Sir  William, 

What  an  Age  has  passed  since  last  I  had  the  con- 
solation of  hearing  directly  from  you!  I  have  written 
several  times  without  a  word  of  reply  either  from  you  or 
Lady  Hamilton,  and  therefore  conclude  my  Letters  must 
have  been  blown  off  by  some  of  the  confounded  political 
Hurricanes  which  have  been  so  long  menacing  us  all  with 
destruction.  My  great  Gothic  Works  have  half  ruined 
me  ;  and  the  West  Indies  are  going  to  the  Devil,  owing 
to  the  Stagnation  of  Sugars.  You  may  suppose  how 
dreadfully  the  state  of  constipation  puts  me  out  of  humour 
at  a  moment  when  such  opportunities  of  collecting  the 
first  objects  of  Art  in  the  World  are  perpetually  present- 
ing themselves.  Something  has,  however,  been  done  for 
me  by  my  old  friend  Huber  of  Geneva  who  is  at  present 
at  Rome  with  a  Wife  and  Child  and  a  half-ruin'd  pro- 
perty. This  identical  Scrawl  will  be  presented  to  you  by 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  give  me  leave  with  the  utmost 
earnestness  to  recommend  him  and  his  concerns  to  your 


258  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

protection.  He  thinks  your  Countenance  might  go  great 
length  towards  preserving  himself,  what  he  has  collected, 
and  what  he  is  collecting,  from  destruction.  Let  me  hear 
from  you,  I  intreat,  and  inform  me  whether  I  could  with 
any  Security  set  forth  for  the  Land  of  Pictures,  Statues 
and  Vases,  and  Repose  myself  under  the  Shadow  of  your 
Wing  and  sing  to  the  praise  and  glory  of  your  lovely 
Emma,  the  object  of  more  Envy,  Uncharitableness  and 
Admiration,  than  any  being  in  the  Universe.  If  you 
would  only  point  out  a  Route,  I  should  be  very  much 
disposed  to  follow  it,  for  no  person  upon  Earth  desires 
more  eagerly  to  see  you  both  once  more  or  feels  himself 
more  sincerely  your  ever 

Affectionate  and  obliged, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD, 

10th  Deer.,  1799- 


William  Beckford  to  Sir  Wm.  Hamilton, 
at  Palermo 

Provided,  my  dear  Sir  William,  that  a  great  gulph  is 
no  longer  between  us  and  that  I  come  to  you  or  you  to 
me,  I  shall  be  contented,  for  be  assured  it  is  quite  impos- 
sible for  me  to  express  how  eagerly  I  long  to  see  you  and 
the  tutelary  Divinity  of  the  two  Sicilies  once  more. 

Tell  your  lovely  Emma  that  I  am  enchanted  with  her 
Remembrance,  and  feel  all  the  force  and  kindness  of  the 
little  line  she  wrote  at  the  bottom  of  your  last  very  affec- 
tionate letter  of  the  9th  Octr.,  which  I  only  received  a  day 
or  two  ago.  By  this  time,  perhaps,  a  Letter  from  me 
very  strongly  recommending  Huber  of  Geneva  to  your 
protection  may  have  reached  you.  By  this  same  Epistle 
you  will  also  learn  my  extreme  eagerness  to  pass  some 
time  with  you ;  if  at  Fonthill  so  much  the  better ;  but 
when  I  wrote  last  I  dared  not  hope  for  this  (to  me) 
greatest  of  satisfactions. 

I,  therefore,  indulged  some  expectations  of  being  able 
to  meet  you  in  Italy.  Should  Circumstances  so  fall  out 
as  to  oblige  you  to  remain  a  little  longer  with  their  Sicilian 
Majesties  (who  must  feel  wretched  at  the  thoughts  of  your 
leaving  them),  let  me  know  and  I  will  set  forth — in  spite 
of  Winds,  Waves  and  War,  Ruts  and  Robbers.    I  wait 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  259 

your  answer  with  impatience  and  remain  with  unalterable 
regard  yours  etc.,  dear  Sir  Hamilton 

most  sincerely  affectionate, 

FoNTHiLL,  W.  BECKFORD. 

23rd  Deer.,  1799. 

The  Abbey  will  astonish  you.  The  Weather  is  sorrow- 
fully dull  and  bitter  Cold  ! — What  a  Climate  ! — How  will 
you  be  able  to  bear  it  ?  I  am  warming  myself  by  the 
Altieri  Claudes  which  have  found  their  way  to  Fonthill 
and  being  magnificently  framed,  well-placed,  and  tenderly 
washed  by  Tresham,  appear  in  the  utmost  Glory  and 
perfection.  I,  who  have  bowels  for  Works  of  Art,  know 
how  to  feel  the  sad  loss  you  experienced  by  the  wreck  of 
the  Colossus. 


William  Beckford  to  Sir  Isaac  Heard  * 

Fonthill,  July  23rdj  1800. 

My  Dear  Sir  Isaac, 

1  can  renounce  all  cris  de  Guerre  without  difficulty ; 
but  as  I  cannot  so  easily  bring  myself  to  abandon  the 
soothing  words  of  Peace  I  must  adhere  to  the  divine 
Motto  of  the  Catisbys.  Secret  et  Heureux  is  the  device 
of  all  others  I  would  prefer  for  the  Abbey.  Therefore,  let 
us  give  up  the  Fitz  Allans,  Talbots,  and  Le  Stranges  with 
all  their  flames,  phenixes  and  naked  Babies ;  and  confine 
ourselves  to  the  Felixe  Race.  What  think  you  of  four 
Catisbys  ;  all  of  a  row,  with  their  Beasts'  Heads  and  battle 
axes  entwisted  with  their  own  snug  comfort-breathing 
scroll  ?  Chuse  4  of  their  best  connections — begin,  if  you 
like,  with  Montfort,  then  some  other  decent  match — then 
— ditto — then  quarterings  Montfort,  &c.,  as  settled  before, 
under  Base  in  an  Excutcheon  of  .  .  .  same  crest,  same 
motto  over  all — Mantling  Helmets,  &c.,  regulate  as  best 
seemeth  good  in  your  eyes. 

I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  your  opinion  on  this  scheme 
by  return  of  Post. 

Pray,  dear  Sir  Isaac,  give  me  leave  to  enquire  after 
your  proceedings  in  the  case  of  a  certain  new  Hollander. 

♦  This  and  the  following  letter  refer  to  the  coats-of-arms  of  his 
ancestors  which  Beckford  subsequently  placed  in  King  Edward  III/s 
Gallery  at  Fonthill  Abbey. 


260  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

As  the  blood  of  the  old  Hollands  boils  furiously  in  my 
veins  this  fierce  weather,  I  long  to  commit  butchery  on 
the  Lion  you  are  about,  I  am  told,  to  lead  such  a  shameful 
Dance.  Don't  for  Honour's  sake,  set  up  the  noble  Beast 
intire  in  such  a  pillory.  Take  him  to  your  Shambles,  let 
him  be  jointed,  hung,  drawn  and  quartered.  Let  nothing 
aboriginal  appear  in  this  disgraceful  Copy.  Consider 
Sirius,  consider  the  Dog  Star,  I  won't  answer  how  loud  I 
may  bark,  how  deeply  I  may  yell  under  his  influence. 
These  are  dusty  days  for  an  excursion  to  Arundell  or 
Holm  Lacy. 

Mr.  Beltz  is  as  dumb  as  the  Monuments  in  West- 
minster Abbey  upon  this  subject — nor  have  I  heard  a  word 
about  it,  since  I  poured  out  my  heraldic  Soul  to  him  in 
the  galleries  of  Fonthill. 

Speak — Speak,  O  Speak, 

Let  me  not  burst  in  Ignorance. 

I  wish  to  God  you  would  come  and  speak  for  yourself — as 
soon  at  least  as  the  Peerage  Mill  has  done  grinding. 

I  perfectly  approve  decent  attention  to  the  golden 
grist  these  hard  Times,  when  Iron  and  brass  are  the  only 
metals  one  meets  with. 

But  as  soon  as  you  have  done  your  best  upon  this 
occasion  and  weeded  up  to  your  chin  in  the  modern  River 
of  Dignity — remember  the  humble  but  clean  rivulet  of 
Fonthill  and  come  and  expatiate  on  its  retired  Banks. 
Both  Lady  Heard  and  yourself  will  find  as  much  shade 
as  falls  to  the  lot  of  any  Mortals  this  weather — exterior  cool- 
ness I  hope,  but  the  warmest  and  heartiest  welcome  from, 
Dear  Sir, 

Yours  sincerely, 

W.  BECKFORD. 

My  best  Compliments  attend  Mr. 
Beltz  and  very  sincere  Wishes 
of  seeing  him  here  soon ;  the 
sooner  the  better. 

William  Beckford  to  Sir  Isaac  Heard 

My  Dear  Sir  Isaac, 

Since  I  have  entered  upon  your  plate  I  feel  tolerably 
refreshed  and  comfortable. 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  261 

The  Beast  is  prettily  hedged  in  and  the  Respice  finem 
of  the  Attitude  quite  appropriate.  He  looks  round  as 
much  as  to  say,  kiss  any  extremity,  yes,  this  Fag-end  will 
do ;  but  still  1  cannot  help  being  of  opinion  that  a  mural 
crown  would  improve  your  beautiful  Dutch  picture — 
and  if  you  would  but  have  the  goodness  to  put  the  two 
lateral  fleurs-de-lys  into  mourning  I  should  feel  quite 
satisfied.  O  what  a  mess  of  Tuckers,  Thomlinsons  and 
Tolderbys,  have  you  been  forced  to  serve  up  to  me — 
What  Hashes  !  what  Aspakes  of  Sea  Monsters !  I  cannot 
swallow  them — I  cannot  defile  the  Abbey  with  such  hete- 
rogeneous mixtures  as  Dawkins's  and  Twickenham  pea- 
cocks afford.  Such  food  cannot  sit  upon  my  squeamish 
heraldic  Stomach  and  I  fear  we  must  beat  about  the  Bush 
for  better  Game.  Bamfield  I  think  you  will  ascertain  *,  but 
Parre — how  shall  we  manage  Parre — ah,  there's  the  Rub. 

As  for  the  Shields,  west  side,  3rd  Division,  I  can 
renounce  them  without  a  pang,  so  woefully  are  the  glories 
of  Howard  obscured  by  filthy  mongrel  Eoccutcheons,  which 
have  no  pretence  in  the  world  to  appear  in  good  Com- 
pany. But  what  shall  we  think  of  to  supply  the  twelve 
vacancies  and  furnish  a  rich  Banquet?  perpend — ^pro- 
nounce. 

I  am,  yours.  Dear  Sir  Isaac, 
With  True  Faith, 
most  devotedly, 

W.  BECKFORD. 

I  shall  wait  with  impatience  for  Lady  Heard's  rising 
from  the  Sea.  This  is  the  right  weather  for  a  souce  in 
the  Grand  Bath. 

Remember  me  to  Mr.  Beltz  very  kindly. 

FONTHILL, 

July  27th,  1800. 

William  Beckford  to  the  Revd.  Thos.  Maurice 
Sir, 

Whilst  I  express  myself  greatly  indebted  to  your 
Politeness  for  taking  a  Sheet  out  of  your  own  Copy  of 
the  History  of  Hindustan  to  supply  a  Defect  in  mine,  I 
have  much  to  regret  that  the  inattention  of  my  Book- 
seller should  have  occasioned  you  a  troublesome  Applica- 


262 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


tion,  and,  in  consequence  of  it,  the  mutilation  of  your 
private  Copy  of  this  most  vahiable  Work.  I  will  order 
Mr.  Clarke  of  Bond  Street,  my  Bookseller,  to  send  you  a 
complete  Copy  if  the  great  Demand  for  the  Work  has 
not  made  it  impracticable  to  find  one.  Altho'  I  was  not 
properly  a  Subscriber  to  the  Volumes  of  Indian  Antiquity 
— for  I  never  place  my  Name  in  Subscription  Lists — Clarke 
had  my  Orders  to  provide  me  with  them,  as  he  has  con- 
stantly to  send  me  all  Works  of  such  Consequence  and 
Celebrity  as  soon  as  their  Merit  is  known. 

What  Verses  of  my  composition  your  Friend  Mr. 
Nares  can  have  recited  to  you  I  know  not,  as  I  am,  if 
you  will  pardon  a  false  Quantity,  "  parens  Musarum 
Cultor — et  infrequens  "  and  cannot  recollect  any  Friend 
to  whom  I  have  given  any  of  my  poetic  Trifles. 

Should  I  be  hereafter  induced  to  bring  into  the  Light 
any  of  the  contents  of  my  portfolio  whether  in  prose  or 
rhyme,  I  shall  do  myself  the  Honour  to  request  your 
Acceptance  of  them  in  return  for  the  real  pleasure  your 
spirited  and  affecting  Compositions  have  often  afforded 
me. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  obedient  and  very 

Humble  Servant, 

FoNTHiLL  House,  W.  BECKFORD. 

SOtk  Septr.,  1800. 

Nicholas  Williams  to  William  Beckford,  at  Paris 

Clifton,  IV^  September,  1801. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

Altho'  I  have  a  great  deal  to  w^rite  you  of,  I  must 
postpone  the  greater  part  of  it  till  next  Week,  as  my  Son 
is  gone  to  London  to  do  some  business  in  your  concerns 
and  I  cannot  lean  forward  but  a  very  little  while  at  a  time 
to  write. 

Enclosed  are  two  Letters  from  M''  Franchi,  which  I 
received  by  two  difP  Packets  within  this  Week ;  he  has 
written  to  me  also  wherein  he  informs  me  he  shall  go  to 
you  by  way  of  Spain  ;  he  proposed  to  set  out  the  first  of 
this  Month  and  to  take  his  Acc*',  &c.,  with  him. — 

I  was  very  happy  to  learn  by  your  Letter  of  the 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  268 


14***  Ult  that  you  were  as  well  as  you  could  expect  with- 
out  your  usual  amusements.  You  will  no  doubt  be  sur- 
prized to  hear  that  the  Furniture  at  Fonthill  [House]  sold 
only  for  about  £8000.  M''  Wyatt  was  there  all  the  time 
and  is  now  here  with  me.  His  plans  for  the  Mansion  are 
compleat,  and  the  Estimate  will  be  ready  in  about  a  fort- 
night, when  you  shall  be  made  acquainted  with  it  imme- 
diately ;  and,  as  soon  as  you  have  made  up  your  mind 
about  it  and  the  Tower  at  the  Abbey  is  made  secure,  I 
would  strongly  recommend  your  moving  the  workmen  to 
the  Mansion  and  go  on  with  it  immediately ;  I  have  strong 
reasons  for  this  which  I  will  give  you  in  my  next. 

My  difficulties  are  at  present  in  every  respect  very 
great,  but  I  do  not  like  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  them  till  I 
can  offer  a  remedy  with  them.  This  I  hope  to  do  very 
soon  for  something  must  be  done. 

My  health  continues  to  mend  slowly.  I  shall,  however, 
return  to  Fonthill  before  the  Sale  for  the  Materials  of  the 
Wings,  which  is  to  take  place  the  first  Week  in  October. — 

I  remain, 

My  Dear  Sir, 

Yours  Sincerely,  &;c., 

N.  w. 

William  Beckford  to  Lady  Hamilton 

l6  Dover  St., 

Oct.,  1801. 

My  Dear  Lady  Hamilton, 

I  learn  with  infinite  satisfaction  that  you  are  re- 
covering a  little  those  charming  spirits  which  vivify  and 
animate  every  object  around  you.  Be  assured  that  my 
impatience  to  come  once  more  within  your  sphere  of 
light  is  not  small.  When  I  shall  have  that  comfort  is 
uncertain,  for  I  have  a  vast  deal  to  do  at  this  place,  and 
have  been  very  far  indeed  from  well,  plagued  with  a 
thousand  cares  and  worried  with  business  and  low  spirits 
half  out  of  my  life.  Hard  on  myself  I  know  how  to  feel 
for  others.  I  wish  old  "  Q"  could  be  bled  of  500,000  or 
600,0001.  It  would  give  him  new  agility,  and  enable  him 
to  enjoy  the  remaining  half-a-million  with  a  much  keener 
relish.  You  see  to  what  a  sad  rope's  end  good  Benjamin 
was  brought,  notwithstanding  his  wadding  of  scrip  and 


264 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


omnium,  and  with  how  sharp  a  razor  red  nick  advised  the 
superexcellent  and  superopulent  Abraham  to  cut  the 
thread  of  his  speculations.  God  forgive  them  both.  You 
recollect  I  never  swelled  the  list  of  your  admirers  and 
was  not  in  the  least  surprised  at  either  catastrophe.  You 
know  I  adore  gameful  Sir  W.  H.  and  am  quite  rejoiced 
at  not  finding  his  long  name  in  the  rigmarole  of  any  of 
the  lately  discovered  Societies.  I  daresay  Mr.  White  will 
call  upon  you  the  first  moment  he  can  snatch  from  that 
whirlpool  which  sucks  up  all  his  time  and  half  my 
substance. 

Believe  me  invariably,  my  dear  Lady  Hamilton 
and  most  affectionately  yours, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

John  Pedley  to  William  Beckford,  at  Paris 

3,  John  Street, 

Adelphi, 

London. 
nth  Decemberj  1802, 

Dear  Sir, 

I  have  received  the  favour  of  your  Letter  of  the 
8th,  and  am  glad  to  find  that  the  prohibition  of  English 
Newspapers  in  France  does  not  prevent  you  from  getting 
a  sight  of  what  passes  on  this  side  of  the  Water.  We  do 
not  consider  here  that  the  debates  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons have  as  yet  taken  any  very  interesting  turn.  The 
critical  situation  of  the  Country  was  generally  well  known 
before  the  meeting  of  Parliament.  Ministers  have  con- 
firmed it,  and  having  obtained  the  supplies  for  which  we 
were  called  together,  and  the  Sanction  of  the  House  for 
putting  us  into  a  war-like  posture,  they  are  about  to  send 
us  home  to  eat  our  Christmas  dinners. 

Mr.  Pitt  and  the  Grenville  party  are  closely  united, 
and  if  a  War  breaks  out  must  come  in  again.  Mr. 
Addington  seems  determined  to  keep  his  ground  if  pos- 
sible, but  certainly  wants  more  support ;  his  only  hope 
resting  upon  the  continuance  of  peace,  he  will  preserve  it, 
if  possible,  at  all  risks.  A  very  flattering  statement  of 
the  Revenue  was  laid  before  us  on  Friday ;  but  what  does 
it  signify  if  the  subjects  are  squeezed  to  death  to  obtain 
it  ?    He  is  heaving  the  very  bowels  of  the  West  Indians 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  265 

out  at  this  moment.  I  had  a  long  communication  with 
our  Island  agent  a  few  days  ago,  who  tells  me  he  is  in- 
structed from  Jamaica  to  oppose  the  Ad  Valorem  duty  ; 
the  truth  is  that  many  who  are  of  the  committee  of 
correspondents  make  very  fine  sugar,  and  so  it  is  that  the 
general  interest  suffers.  Several  meetings  have  taken 
place  with  the  Minister  upon  the  subject  of  relief,  and  an 
additional  bounty  has  been  given  upon  exportation.  But 
nothing  effectual  can  be  expected,  till  the  parties  them- 
selves are  a  little  more  unanimous. 

You  tell  me  I  make  no  mention  of  Merton  or  its 
inhabitants — it  is  very  true — but  be  assured  I  have  not 
been  inattentive  in  any  respect  to  your  concern,  since  we 
parted.  Having  no  particular  object  to  carry  me  there 
at  present  I  wait  till  I  have — but  unless  I  receive  more 
encouragement  than  I  have  lately  met  with  from  some 
quarters,  1  am  afraid  your  prognostications  will  turn  out 
but  too  true. 

I  have  lost  the  whole  of  two  mornings  waiting  to 
receive  Mr.  Wyatt,  agreeably  to  appointments  made  with 
him  by  Mr.  Foxhall.  If  he  is  so  little  master  of  his  time 
as  this,  it  is  very  uncertain  when  we  may  meet — as  the 
sitting  of  Parliament  will  prevent  my  leaving  town  before 
the  23rd,  and  I  could  hardly  expect  Mr.  Hill  to  attend  to 
business  during  the  Christmas  holidays,  I  beUeve  I  shall 
postpone  my  journey  into  Wiltshire  till  January — I  must 
surely  see  Mr.  Wyatt  betwen  this  and  then,  and  make 
some  appointment  with  him  to  meet  me  there. 

I  regret  to  hear  that  you  still  find  yourself  so  cramped 
and  uncomfortable  at  Paris,  and  if  you  think  you  should 
be  happier  at  home  why  not  return  ?  It  looks  a  little 
indecisive  to  be  crossing  the  Channel  so  often  at  such  a 
season,  but  in  matters  so  innocent  as  this,  substantial 
happiness  is  not  to  be  sacrificed  to  opinions.  If  you  could 
make  yourself  at  all  contented,  I  should  recommend  your 
staying  there  three  or  four  months  longer,  the  change  will 
be  greater  and  pleasanter  afterwards,  but  it  ought  entirely 
to  be  made  to  depend  upon  your  mind. 

That  I  wish  you  every  happiness,  and  a  great  deal 
more  than  I  can  command  for  you,  you  very  well  know. 
You  may  depend  upon  your  best  exertions  to  make  you  so 
so  long  as  my  health  lasts — but  for  several  years  past,  I 
found  my  spirits  better  than  my  Constitution,  and  should 


266  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

not  be  greatly  surprised  at  finding  myself  incapable  of 
undertaking  so  much  as  I  am  now  doing.  You  will 
scarcely  credit  it  perhaps,  but  I  do  assure  you  that  every 
moment  of  my  time  is  occupied  in  your  concerns,  and 
they  require  the  utmost  stretch  of  thought  that  better 
heads  than  mine  can  give  them. 

You  may  be  surprised  to  hear  that  Mrs.  Hervey's 
Attorney  in  Jamaica  (Mr.  Cuthbert)  has  increased  her 
Debt  in  that  Island,  in  the  management  of  only  one 
Estate  and  the  half  of  another  within  the  last  two  years, 
to  the  amount  of  upwards  of  Seventeen  thousand  pounds  ; 
and  to  add  to  this  blessing  Mr.  White  tells  me  it  is  likely 
to  be  the  subject  of  a  Chancery  suit.  Only  view  the  con- 
sequences of  similar  administration  of  your  great  pro- 
perty! I  am  guarding  against  it  by  all  possible  means 
and  trust  I  will  be  more  successful. 

I  remain  with  great  respect, 
Dear  Sir, 

Your  faithful  and  obedient  humble  servant, 

JOHN  PEDLEY. 

John  Pedley  to  William  Beckford,  at  Paris 

London,  1*^  April,  1803. 

My  dear  Sir, 

You  will  be  very  glad  to  hear  that  Mr.  Wyatt  has 
at  length  reached  Fonthill  and  prolonged  his  stay  at  that 
place  till  everything  was  set  to  rights.  If  you  could  be 
but  assured  of  such  weather  as  we  have  had  for  the  last 
fortnight,  I  think  you  would  never  leave  it  again.  It  has 
absolutely  been  too  warm,  and  in  the  Sun  almost  approach- 
ing to  Sultry,  but  I  wish  we  may  not  be  made  to  pay  for 
it  yet. 

Mr.  West  has  sent  to  me,  to  let  me  know  for  your 
information,  that  the  two  Claudes  (I  presume  the  same 
you  mention  in  your  last  favour  of  the  26th  ult.)  had 
made  their  appearance  here  within  the  last  ten  days,  and 
that  if  you  were  disposed  to  give  a  large  price  for  them, 
he  could  obtain  them  for  you.  I  told  him  what  you  could 
have  purchased  them  for  last  year,  and  desired  him  to 
learn  what  would  be  taken  for  them  now. 

You  know  my  sentiments  so  fully  upon  all  these 
subjects,  that  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  repeat  them — but 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  267 

if  two  such  Pictures  as  these,  and  which  you  seem  to  be 
so  desirous  of  possessing,  can  be  purchased  for  1500L,  or 
any  reasonable  advance,  and  considering  that  the  oppor- 
tunity once  lost  may  never  return,  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
do  anything  in  my  power  to  assist  you  in  obtaining  them. 
At  the  same  time  1  cannot  remind  you  too  often  that 
Lord  Arundell's  Estates,  or  the  lands  more  immediately 
adjoining  yours,  are  in  my  opinion  of  the  last  importance 
to  you  and  that  by  engaging  too  deeply  in  one  thing, 
however  desirable,  it  may  cramp  you  in  others  of  more 
importance. 

In  your  next  you  may  probably  touch  upon  the  subject 
again,  and  say  to  what  length  you  would  chuse  to  go. 

Such  has  been  the  general  embarrasment  of  West 
India  Affairs  in  consequence  of  Willis  &  Waterhouse 
stoppage,  that  Mr.  Glenny,  like  his  neighbours,  has  been 
put  to  difficulties  and  neglected  to  send  the  March  pay- 
ment to  Rangoon  at  the  usual  time.  Both  that  and  the 
April  Payment,  as  well  as  £500  in  the  room  of  the  Jamaica 
Bill  sent  to  Mr.  White,  is  to  be  paid  in  this  morning, 
amounting  together  to  upwards  of  £2000.  Mr.  White  has 
been  so  much  pressed  for  money,  he  was  obliged  to 
discount  your  Bill  and  apply  it  towards  carrying  on  your 
law  concerns  and  cannot  conveniently  repay  it.  I  have 
therefore  made  the  arrangement  as  above.  Mr.  West- 
macott's  Matter  is  still  depending,  but  will  probably  be 
settled  on  the  20th  inst.  It  cannot  by  possibility  take  any 
course  that  should  occasion  you  another  thought.  It  has 
been  unceasingly  troublesome  ever  since  you  went  away, 
but  I  will  not  trouble  you  with  further  particulars  till  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 

We  are  still  in  the  utmost  suspense  between  War  and 
Peace.  The  Stocks  are  the  only  Barometer,  and  nobody 
ever  witnessed  such  fluctuations.  A  very  general  report 
prevailed  this  morning,  that  Mr.  Pitt,  Lord  Melville  and 
several  others  of  the  old  Ministry,  were  coming  in  again — 
but  we  are  in  reality  as  much  at  Sea  as  ever.  Poor  Sir 
Wm.  Hamilton  continues  dangerously  ill,  and  is  not 
expected  to  recover,  he  may  linger  some  time,  but  Lord 
Nelson  thinks  he  cannot  get  over  it. 

I  enclose  a  Letter  from  the  Miss  Beckfords  and  as  you 
say  you  shall  not  leave  Paris  till  about  the  20th,  I  propose 
to  have  the  satisfaction  of  writing  to  you  for  the  last  time. 


268 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


unless  I  receive  your  directions  to  the  contrary,  this  day 
F'night.    That  this  may  meet  you  in  your  usual  good 
health  and  Spirits  is  the  very  sincere  wish  of 
Dear  Sir, 

Your  faithful  and  obliged  hble.  Servant, 

JOHN  PEDLEY. 

John  Pedley  to  William  Beckford,  at  Paris 

Grosvenor  Street,  l\th  Deer.,  1806. 

My  dear  Sir, 

That  you  are  my  verytrue  and  sincere  Friend,  I  have 
never  for  a  moment  doubted  since  I  had  first  the  honour 
and  pleasure  of  being  introduced  to  you.  And  whether 
I  have  omitted  any  opportunity  of  actively  shewing  my 
sense  of  it,  must  be  left  to  you  to  determine. 

I  see  the  full  force  of  all  your  kind  advice,  and  look  upon 
a  seat  in  Parliament  for  the  present  time  [as]  inestimable. 

In  the  late  treaty  I  submitted  myself  entirely  to  Mr. 
White  and  Mr.  Fownes,  and  was  willing  to  do  anything 
they  recommended.  Mr.  Fownes  strongly  advised  me 
not  to  offer  more  than  5000  Gs,  and  had  hopes  of 
something  else  in  the  same  quarter  upon  better  terms. 
Unfortunately  he  was  obliged  to  leave  town  for  a 
week,  and,  the  parties  being  strangers  to  Mr.  White, 
nothing  came  of  it.  These  are  the  facts,  and  I  fear  the 
time  has  now  passed  by,  and  that  lamentation  is  unavail- 
able. It  is  one  of  the  mischiefs  in  these  treaties  that  one 
cannot  interfere  oneself.  The  Agents  will  keep  it  to 
themselves  and  the  reason  is  obvious. 

The  Marquis  of  Bute,  you  know,  is  very  anxious  to  have 
your  assistance  in  the  Saltash  Contest.  If  you  give  it  to 
him  and  he  proves  successful,  you  should  have  an  engage- 
ment for  a  Seat  for  life  at  all  events.  But  suppose,  in  addi- 
tion to  this,  and  by  way  of  proving  his  sincerity,  he  were  to 
offer  to  bring  me  into  Parliament  immediately  upon  the 
payment  of  a  reasonable  sum  of  Money,  say  £3000,  do 
you  think  it  should  be  afforded  to  him  upon  these  Terms. 
Mr.  White  swallows  the  idea  most  greedily.  With  your 
assistance  (and  a  little  Parliamentary  packing)  I  think 
they  might  make  the  worse  appear  the  better  cause. 
These  are  not  times  for  half  friendships.    Ministers  must 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  269 

have  the  Jobs  done  thro'  thick  and  thin,  and  they  cer- 
tainly hope  to  pack  a  sufficient  number  to  do  this  for 
them.    Your  aid  might  cloak  it  with  a  sort  of  justice. 

Mr.  White  returned  in  due  course  and  in  time  to  com- 
plete the  business  yesterday.  With  respect  to  Morland, 
I  will  call  upon  him  when  I  make  your  usual  payment  in 
January  and  acquaint  him  with  the  arrangement.  Mr. 
White  tells  me  he  has  been  enabled  to  fix  the  completion 
of  the  K.T.  matter  for  the  Month  of  January  certain. 

I  regret  as  much  as  you  can  do,  the  few  opportunities 
afforded  to  me  of  late,  of  the  great  pleasure  I  always  find 
in  your  society,  but  look  forward  to  the  next  few  months 
for  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  portion  of  it. 

The  weather  continues  open  and  pleasant  for  the 
Season,  and  with  reference  to  your  improvements  in 
planting  you  must  be  glad  of  it,  tho'  it  may  be  damp  and 
unhealthy.    My  constant  best  wishes  attend  you. 
&  I  am  always,  my  dear  Sir, 

Very  respectfully  and  faithfully  yours, 

JOHN  PEDLEY. 

John  Pedley  to  William  Beckford,  at  Paris 

Grosvenor  Street, 

Sth  January^  1808. 

My  dear  Sir, 

Upon  the  present  occasion  of  the  Saltash  Treaty, 
you  may  depend  upon  the  same  zeal  and  interest  I  have 
uniformly  manifested  in  every  undertaking  I  have  ever 
engaged  in  for  you,  and  shall  be  happy  to  acquaint  you 
my  exertions  have  been  attended  with  the  same  good  luck 
they  have  commonly  been  crowned  with. — I  say  happy-^ 
because  you  seem  to  wish  to  part  with  this  Jewel  so 
ardently — but  when  accompHshed — I,  myself,  shall  con- 
sider it  by  far  the  greatest  loss  and  fall  you  have  met  with. 
The  Times  are  ruinously  bad,  God  knows,  but  with  pru- 
dence and  economy  your  affairs  may  yet  go  right. 

If  you  part  with  your  Honours  they  are  irretrievable. 
No  new  purchase,  if  you  should  hereafter  be  disposed  to 
make  any,  could  Robe  you  with  them  again. 

It  would  take  years  to  give  Notoriety  to  the  purchase 
of  any  other  Borough — as  it  will  to  some  of  our  New- 
made  Peers,  many  of  whom  are  as  obscure  as  ever,  but 


270 


WILLIAM  BECKFOllD 


with  respect  to  Saltash — you  have  fought  for  it,  and 
won  it — and  certainly  ought  to  wear  it — but  I  have  done — 
1  have  said  too  much  perhaps  already — the  Dye  is  cast,  and 
I  will  be  instrumental  to  you  if  I  can,  in  getting  rid  of  it» 

With  respect  to  the  Opinions  you  mention  Mr.  White 
is  to  take  to  you,  let  me  entreat  you  to  consider  well  before 
you  determine.  A  single  false  step  upon  some  occasions 
is  irretrievable.  You  stand  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
World  at  present,  at  least  for  the  noble  qualities  amongst 
others  of  Liberality,  Generosity,  Disinterestedness,  and 
greater  contempt  for  Money.  If  you  have  been  imposed 
upon  or  deceived,  nobody  will  reflect  upon  you  for  seeking 
justice  and  endeavouring  to  obtain  your  rights;  but  let  your 
Suit  bear  the  stamp  of  this  fair  and  honourable  pretension 
upon  the  very  face  of  it.  This,  I  think,  it  would  do  if  you 
only  reclaimed  property  to  the  Value  of — whatever  Sum — 
which  appears  to  be  conveyed  away  at  the  same  time  that 
you  say  you  only  intended  to  give  some  Land.  It  is  one 
thing  to  reclaim  this  property  but  the  claim  to  the  Estate — 
the  Land  is  upon  a  very  different  footing. 

If  you  intended  to  give  some  Land  as  you  acknowledge 
you  did — people  will  not  distinguish  as  to  quantity.  You 
reclaim  the  Negroes  and  other  property  conveyed  with  the 
Land,  because  you  did  not  intend  to  give  any.  Pray  con- 
sider this  a  little,  my  dear  Sir,  and  give  it  your  best 
attention. 

I  hope  and  trust  you  will  excuse  my  interesting  myself 
upon  a  subject  on  which  I  have  thought  you  do  not  wish 
to  consult  me,  but  the  anxiety  I  feel  in  everything  that 
concerns  you,  but  more  especially  in  what  regards  your 
fame  and  memory,  compels  me  to  obtrude  so  far.  I  rely 
entirely  upon  the  knowledge  you  have  long  had  of  my 
best  wishes  and  intentions  towards  you  for  an  excuse  for 
these  observations,  as  well  as  for  everything  else  that  has 
or  may  ever  pass  between  us  upon  any  and  every  other 
subject. 

Rely  upon  it,  Nobody  wishes  you  better  than  me. 
Always  very  respectfully 

and  faithfully  yours,  my  Dear  Sir, 

JOHN  PEDLEY. 


CORRESPONDENCE,  1796-1817  271 


William  Beckford  to  John  Pedley 

FoNTHiLL  Abbey,  Thursday,  25  July,  1817. 

Smith,  my  dear  Sir,  gave  you  true  information — I 
was  a  good  deal  oppressed  by  the  dulness  of  the  London 
heat,  and  retreated  rather  in  quick  time  to  Salthill — From 
thence  I  moved  to  Fonthill,  which  being  a  Hill  in  earnest, 
afforded  me  fresher  breezes — 

I  have  need  of  bracing  to  meet  with  any  degree  of  for- 
titude the  privations  &  mortifications  to  which  by  excess 
of  knavery  on  t'other  side  the  Atlantic  and  excess  of  negli- 
gence, ignorance,  and  obstinacy  on  this,  I  am  reduced. 
The  heat  has  been  succeeded  in  this  part  of  the  World  at 
least  by  a  succession  of  alternately  violent  and  driving 
rains,  highly  unfavourable  to  crops  of  all  kinds,  except 
excuses  which  promise  to  be  abundant. 

Uncomfortable  as  I  feel  at  the  thoughts  of  being  left 
by  your  absence  without  one  really  zealous  and  able  coun- 
sellor, I  am  not  so  selfish  as  to  regret  your  scheme.  The 
excursion  will  do  you  good,  and  I  need  not  say  how  re- 
joiced I  shall  be  to  see  you  returned,  and  returned  with  a 
renovation  of  spirits.  Go  on,  remain  where  you  will,  my 
best  wishes  will  ever  accompany  you. 

I  am  be  assured  my  dear  Sir,  with  true  and  friendly 
regards 

Most  sincerely  yours 

W.  BECKFORD. 

Beckford's  indoor  occupations  were  numerous.  It  has 
been  said,  and  with  some  show  of  reason,  that  he  was  the 
most  accomplished  man  of  his  time.  He  was  a  good 
musician,  he  could  draw,  he  spoke  five  modern  European 
tongues,  and  could  write  three  of  them  with  elegance ;  he 
was  well  acquainted  with  Persian,  Arabic,  and,  of  course, 
the  Latin  and  Greek  classics;  while  his  reading  was  at 
least  as  extensive  as  that  of  any  of  his  contemporaries. 
Any  one  who  has  these  accomplishments  can  scarcely  be 
dull,  and  Beckford,  in  addition,  was  an  enthusiastic  col- 
lector of  books,  pictures,  and  other  treasures,  in  pursuit  of 
which  he  frequently  went  to  London  to  inspect  the  dealers' 


272  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

stocks  of  scarce  volumes  and  fine  paintings.  Of  Beckford 
the  collector,  however,  more  will  be  said  in  another  chapter. 
Though  he  yielded  to  none  in  his  love  of  tall  copies,  splendid 
bindings,  and  rare  editions,  he  was  student  as  well  as  col- 
lector ;  and  it  was  characteristic  of  his  tastes  that  while,  in 
later  life,  he  sometimes  disposed  of  a  picture,  he  never  sold 
a  book.  Even  as  in  his  earlier  years  he  secluded  himself 
for  a  while  to  read  Gibbon  s  library,  so  afterwards  he  rarely 
put  on  his  shelves  any  volume  until  he  had  made  himself 
acquainted  with  its  contents ;  and,  large  as  his  library 
was,  to  the  end  of  his  days  he  would  without  a  moment's 
hesitation  put  his  hand  on  any  book  or  print  he  possessed. 

It  was  his  habit  to  annotate  his  books,  and  to  write 
some  brief  criticism  on  the  fly-leaf.  Sometimes  his  com- 
ments covered  three  or  four  pages  ;  and  one  of  the  most 
valuable  items  offered  at  the  sale  of  his  library  in  1882-3 
was  this  item,  knocked  down  to  Quaritch  for  £42 — "  Beck- 
fordiana.  Transcript  from  the  autograph  notes  written  by 
Mr.  Beckford  on  the  fly-leaves  of  various  works  in  his 
library,  7  vols.,  Manuscript  (folio)."  His  comments  were 
usually  shrewd,  and  often  so  caustic  as  to  suggest  that 
had  he  been  obliged  to  earn  his  living  he  might  well  have 
turned  an  honest  penny  by  contributing  to  one  or  other 
of  the  quarterlies  in  the  days  when  severity  was  the  motto 
of  these  periodicals.  Some  examples  of  his  jottings  may 
prove  interesting : 

Gibbon :  "  History  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the 
Roman  Empire." 

The  time  is  not  far  distant,  Mr.  Gibbon,  when  your 
almost  ludicrous  self-complacency,  your  numerous 
and  sometimes  apparently  wilful  mistakes,  your 
frequent  distortion  of  historical  Truth  to  provoke 
a  gibe,  or  excite  a  sneer  at  everything  most  sacred 
and  venerable,  your  ignorance  of  the  oriental  lan- 
guages, your  limited  and  far  from  acutely  critical 
knowledge  of  the  Latin  and  the  Greek,  and  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  prurient  and  obscene  gossip  of  your 


LITERARY  CRITICISMS 


273 


notes — your  affected  moral  purity  perking  up  every 
now  and  then  from  the  corrupt  mass  hke  artificial 
roses  shaken  off  in  the  dark  by  some  Prostitute  on 
a  heap  of  manure,  your  heartless  scepticism,  your 
unclassical  fondness  for  meretricious  ornament, 
your  tumid  diction,  your  monotonous  jingle  of 
periods,  will  be  still  more  exposed  and  scouted 
than  they  have  been.  Once  fairly  kicked  off  from 
your  lofty,  bedizened  stilts,  you  will  be  reduced 
to  your  just  level  and  true  standard. 

Joseph  Brasbridge  :  "  Fruits  of  Experience ;  an  Auto- 
biography." 

They  who  like  hog-wash — O  there  are  amateurs 
for  everything — will  not  turn  away  disappointed  or 
disgusted  with  this  book,  but  relish  the  stale  and 
trashy  anecdotes  it  contains  and  gobble  them  with 
avidity. 

Miss  Aikin  :  Memoirs  of  the  Court  of  James  I." 
I  wish  Lucy  would  take  to  the  needle  instead  of 
the  pen,  and  darn  stockings  instead  of  history.  She 
would  then  be  more  harmlessly  employed  than  in 
leading  unhappy  readers  with  open  appetites  into 
the  purchase  of  literary  aliment  already  reduced  to 
a  caput  mortuum  by  repeated  stewings. 

Peter  Beckford :  "  Familiar  Letters  from  Italy." 

This  book  has  at  least  some  merit — the  language  is 
simple  :  an  ill-natured  person  might  add — and  the 
thoughts  not  less  so. 

John  Gait :  "  Letters  from  the  Levant." 

A  specimen  of  Mr.  Gait's  own  poetry,  about  as 
harmonious  as  the  screeching  and  grating  of  the 
wheels  of  a  Portugeese  dray.  One  might  as  well 
make  sense  of  such  sounds  and  fancy  them  articu- 
late as  comprehend  the  meaning  of  our  author  s 
vile  strummings  upon  his  discordant  lyre. 

J.  Wolff :  "  Sketches  on  a  Tour  to  Copenhagen  through 
Norway  and  Sweden." 

The  Author  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  this  very 
middling  performance  continues  gossiping,  senti- 

s 


274  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

mentalising,  quoting  trite  poetry  and  bad,  ill-spelt 
French,  jeering,  sneering  and  frolicking  with  about 
as  much  grace  and  vivacity  as  a  dancing  Bear.  I 
sincerely  hope  the  cares  of  authorship  may  never 
again  disturb  his  repose  at  Sherwood  Lodge. 

N.  Tenhove :  "  Memoirs  of  the  House  of  Medici,  with 
Notes  &  Observations  by  S.  W.  R.  Clayton." 

In  these  volumes,  not  only  the  embellishments,  but 
the  original  matter,  the  translations,  and  the  notes, 
are  much  upon  the  same  level,  and  nothing  [is] 
wanting  to  produce  complete  mediocrity,  but  in- 
different paper  and  two  columns  of  closely  squeezed 
print  like  the  commonest  magazine  or  the  Newgate 
Calendar, 

These  examples  of  Beckford  s  comments  on  books 
must  suffice ;  but  it  is  not  to  be  thought  that  he  was 
always  a  hostile  critic.  He  frequently  had  a  kind  word 
for  his  contemporaries.  Thus,  he  found  "  Guy  Manner- 
ing "  '*  most  admirable,"  and  thought  the  "  Ingoldsby 
Legends  "  were  "  perfect  in  their  way  " ;  and  if  he  believed 
rightly  enough  that  Theodore  Hook's  plots  were  not  very 
original,  and  that  this  writer  did  not  display  much  thought, 
at  least  he  found  worthy  of  praise  the  manner  in  which 
the  stories  were  told,  and  the  judgment  and  effect  with 
which  the  minor  incidents  were  introduced  into  the  narra- 
tive. "  I  could  not  get  him  out  of  my  head  yesterday," 
he  said,  after  reading  one  of  Hook's  novels.  "  He  brings 
a  pretended  surveyor  of  a  railway  to  the  owner  of  a  pet 
house,  telling  him  he  is  come  to  take  bearings  for  a  rail- 
way, which  is  to  proceed  right  through  his  property.  The 
alarm  he  causes  is  ludicrous  and  well  sustained.  Such 
incidents  seem  to  be  Yii^  forte,''  At  another  time  Beckford 
hit  off  the  characteristics  of  two  writers  of  his  day  with 
considerable  humour.  "  Lord  Jeffrey  is  a  writer  of  accu- 
rate perception,  but  I  do  not  like  these  patent  intellects 
of  magazines,  their  writings  become  biassed — they  write 
too  much  upon  rule,  and  for  party  purposes — Jeffrey  is 


BECKFORD'S  ANTHOLOGY  275 

too  high  dried  to  please  me ;  he  wanted  a  little  of  Sidney 
Smith's  liquors.  But  as  for  Brougham  I  Ah,  he's  delight- 
ful, charming  I  malicious !  he  is  as  spiteful  as  my  dwarf— 
an  electric  eel.  He  pokes  up  his  cold  nose,  electrifies  the 
political  waters,  and  the  gudgeons  are  mesmerised — he 
ought  to  be  read,  he  is  so  clever."  If  Lord  Brougham 
ever  saw  this  criticism  of  himself,  it  would  have  pleased 
him. 

Beckford's  sense  of  humour  and  his  sound  judgment 
found  an  outlet  in  the  compilation  of  an  anthology  that, 
however,  has  never  been  published.  The  preface,  dated 
October  25,  1834,  sufficiently  indicates  its  scope. 

Readers  and  Reviewers,  who  do  not  always  come  into 
the  former  class,  can  hardly  find  time  nor  inclination  to 
particularize  the  strange  and  fantastic  passages  which  lie 
scattered  throughout  almost  countless  publications. 

Enjoying  more  leisure  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  every 
dabbler  in  Literature,  I  have  made  extracts  on  the  fly 
leaves  of  most  of  the  books  in  my  library,  a  selection  from 
which,  accompanied  by  a  few  straggling  observations  of 
my  own,  may  possibly  afford  amusement  to  persons  not 
knowing  how  to  dispose  of  an  idle  hour. 

Many  of  the  passages  I  have  noted  down  are  so  in- 
credibly absurd,  so  loftily  conceited,  and  so  arabesquely 
florid,  that,  unless  people  submit  to  the  drudgery  of  refer- 
ring page  by  page  to  the  books  themselves,  I  shall  scarcely 
obtain  credit  for  fidelity  of  transcription ;  I  may  venture, 
however,  to  pledge  myself  for  their  scrupulous  exactitude. 
In  many  cases  I  have  abridged — never  amplified.  Every 
line  quoted  in  these  volumes  is  to  be  found  in  the  originals, 
and  if  these  lines  are  too  often  "  Fruits  of  Conceits  and 
Flowers  of  Nonsense  "  I  am  not  answerable  for  their  silli- 
ness and  extravagance ;  my  task  has  been  merely  to  record 
curious  ebullitions  of  egotism,  and  remarkable  deviations 
from  good  sense  and  good  taste,  found  very  often  where 
least  expected. 

Books  on  religious  subjects  interested  him  always,  and 
he  annotated  a  number  of  them.  On  the  fly-leaf  of  a 
pamphlet,  "  Co-Adamitas  proving  Men  besides  Adam  and 


276  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Angels  did  not  fall"  (1732),  he  wrote  briefly,  "  No  Hell- 
hurrah  I"  and  to  take  another  example,  in  William  Rae 
Wilson's  "  Travels  in  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land "  he 
inserted  five  pages  of  caustic  notes,  concluding  : 

I  am  rather  afraid  that  reasoning  Believers  will  not 
find  their  faith  particularly  strengthened  by  the  perusal 
of  this  volume,  which,  when  it  does  not  repeat  what  has 
already  been  again  and  again  repeated,  conveys  little  if 
any  information  at  all.  The  sceptic  and  the  scoffer,  I 
fear,  will  not  be  induced  to  lower  their  tone  or  cease 
doubting  or  gibing  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Wilson's 
Thunders.  Truths  divine  alas,  do  not  come  mended  by 
his  botchings,  so  that,  instead  of  a  resplendent  garment 
worthy  to  grace  the  nuptials  of  the  Lamb,  we  are  presented 
with  old  clothes  and  worn-out  tatters  fit  only  to  furnish 
material  for  scarecrows. 

Though  officially  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  he  leant  towards  Agnosticism.*" 
Discussing  the  difference  between  the  Protestant  and  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion,  he  said  with  great  energy  and 
earnestness,  "  The  one  is  the  opera  and  the  other  the  dress 
rehearsal.  Gracious  goodness !  the  Roman  Catholic  reli- 
gion is  filled  with  fine  stage  effects,  glittering  crosses, 
censers,  mitres,  crosiers,  dresses,  candles,  pictures,  banners, 
processions,  perfumes,  cloths,  and  music,  from  the  deep 
tones  of  the  organ  to  the  delightful  squeakings  of  the 
Pope's  eunuchs."  Not  unnaturally,  however,  the  aesthetic 
side  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  made  its  appeal  to 
him.  "  One  must  become  half-Catholic  to  enter  fully  into 
the  glories  of  Italian  art — religion  with  us  is  a  cold,  reluc- 
tant duty.  We  acknowledge  God,  but  fear  to  love  Him. 
We  are  afraid  of  any  thing  that  fits  our  minds  for  devo- 
tion— we  make  religion  a  duty,  not  an  affection — when 

*  It  is  but  fair  to  state  that  Beckford's  copy  of  Strauss'  "  Das  Leben 
Jesu "  (Tiibingen,  1837)  contains  a  note  in  the  handwriting  of  his 
daughter,  the  Duchess  of  Hamilton :  "  Mr.  Beckford  meant  to  have 
refuted  this  impious  publication." 


BECKFORD  ON  RELIGION  277 

the  formality  of  worship  is  over,  we  have  done.  The  true 
spirit,  superstition,  devotion,  whatever  you  will,  was  in  the 
heart  of  the  Italian  artist — it  oozed  out  at  the  end  of  his 
pencil,  bathing  his  work  in  the  beauty  of  holiness."  He 
indignantly  denied,  however,  that  he  had  "gone  over  to 
Rome." 

William  Beckford  to  Thomas  Wildman 

22  Aug.,  1795. 

.  .  .  Those  who  have  been  entertaining  you  with  my 
change  of  religion  are  either  Knaves  or  Simpletons.  I  am 
just  what  I  have  always  been  in  that  respect — an  Amateur, 
a  Dilletante,  a  Connoisseur  perhaps,  but  no  Professor. 
You  have  seen  me  perform  at  St.  Sulpice,  if  you  please  to 
recollect,  and  so  you  might  see  me  perform  upon  this 
theatre.  Beyond  a  few  genuflexions  or  expressions  in 
time  with  the  rest  of  the  audience,  I  defy  Mr.  W. 
and  all  his  Set — to  prove  anything.  The  gravity  with 
which  you  write  of  my  having  changed  my  Religion 
from  Protestant  to  Roman  Catholic  takes  away  all 
gravity  from  me.  I  laughed  as  if  I  had  been  seeing  the 
farce  of  the  Agreeable  Surprise  or  Tom  Thumb — I 
change  indeed !  Pray  when  did  you  know  me  adhere  to 
the  Sect  I  am  supposed  to  have  relinquished  ?  How  can 
a  Man  who  was  never  at  Wapping  be  said  to  have  gone 
from  Wapping  to  Rome  ? 

In  a  correspondence  with  a  dissenting  minister, 
Beckford  waxed  wroth  over  the  badness  of  the  psalms  and 
hymns  used  in  worship  considered  as  poetical  compositions. 
"  Some  may  think  this  a  matter  of  no  moment,"  he  said 
indignantly.  "  One  of  the  popes  said  it  was  blasphemous 
to  submit  the  word  of  God  to  the  rules  of  grammatical 
composition — God  should  have  the  best  that  can  be 
offered  in  relation  to  His  worship — chapel  and  church  make 
sad  work  of  their  psalmody."  Beckford  made  no  attempt 
to  write  religious  verse,  but  in  some  of  his  poetical  effu- 
sions he  wrote  gravely  and  reverently  of  sacred  themes. 


278  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

THE  LAST  DAY 

"Dies  tree,  Dies  ilia!'* 

Hark  !  heard  ye  not  that  deep  appalling  sound  ? 
Tremble ! — for  to  the  vex'd,  the  affrighted  ground 
Heaves  strong  in  dread  convulsion — streams  of  fire 
Burst  from  the  vengeful  sky — a  voice  of  ire 
Proclaims  :  "  Ye  guilty,  wait  your  final  doom  : 
No  more  the  silence  of  the  tomb 

Shall  screen  your  crimes,  your  frailties.  Conscience  reigns, — 

Earth  needs  no  other  sceptre ; — what  remains 

Beyond  her  fated  limits,  dare  not  tell : — 

Eternal  Justice  ! — Judgment ! — Heaven  ! — Hell '  " 

A  PRAYER 

Like  the  low  murmurings  of  the  secret  stream. 

Which  through  dark  alders  winds  its  shaded  way. 

My  suppliant  voice  is  heard  :  ah,  do  not  deem 
That  on  vain  toys  I  throw  my  life  away  ! 

In  the  recesses  of  the  forest  vale, 

On  the  wild  mountain,  on  the  verdant  sod, 
Where  the  fresh  breezes  of  the  morn  prevail, 

I  wander  lonely,  communing  with  God. 

When  the  faint  sickness  of  a  wounded  heart 

Creeps  in  cold  shudderings  through  my  sinking  frame, 

I  turn  to  Thee — that  holy  peace  impart 

Which  soothes  the  invokers  of  Thy  august  name. 

0  all-pervading  spirit — sacred  beam  ! 

Parent  of  life  and  light ! — Eternal  Power  ! 
Grant  me,  through  obvious  clouds,  one  transient  gleam 
Of  Thy  bright  essence  in  my  dying  hour ! 

As  much  as  in  religion,  or  even  more,  Beckford  was 
interested  in  genealogy  and  heraldry,  especially  in  so  far 
as  it  concerned  himself.  Himself  descended,  paternally 
or  maternally,  from  all  the  Barons  of  Magna  Charta,  from 
whom  there  was  issue  surviving,  he  sometimes  showed  the 
pride  that  apes  humility. 

1  most  heartily  wish  Mr.  Burke  had  suffered  the 
Beckford  family  and  all  their  glories  to  sleep  undisturbed. 
These  are  not  times  for  displays  of  this  nature,  royalty 
being  at  a  woeful  discount.  Like  certain  fish  at  certain 
seasons,  such  dishes  had  better  now  be  dispensed  with. 


BECKFORD  ON  HERALDRY  279 

So  he  wrote  to  Clarke,  the  bookseller,  with  whom  he 
was  on  intimate  terms,  concerning  Burke's  "  History  of 
the  Commoners  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,"  published 
1833.  When  he  saw  that  work,  however,  his  tone  became 
one  of  great  indignation. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

So  far  from  exhausting  his  pieces  justificativeSy  [Burke] 
has  omitted  a  most  splendid  and  little-shared  descent  from 
David  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  son  of  King  Malcolm  Canmore, 
through  Hastings,  Catesby,  Barre,  Talbot,  Comyn  and 
Baliol,  and  twenty  descents  besides,  and  twenty  to  boot, 
almost  ad  infinitum.  Blood  royal  enough,  in  short,  to 
make  black  puddings,  were  all  the  swine  in  Christendom 
to  fail. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

I  beg  that  you  will  immediately  take  the  enclosed  to 
Mr.  Beltz,  for  immediate  correction,  and  at  the  same  time 
inform  Mr.  Burke  that  I  never  intended,  nor  intend  to 
enter,  into  any  correspondence  upon  the  subject.  It  was 
upon  that  sole  condition  (that  I  should  not  be  bothered 
upon  a  subject  I  care  little  about),  that  any  account  of 
the  Beckford  family  was  furnished.  .  .  .  Mr.  Beltz's 
account  was  a  model  of  elegance  ...  it  is  now  woefully 
vulgarized.  The  inaccuracy  and  bad  taste  of  this  vile 
mess  are  equally  insufferable. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

Garnishing  a  dish  with  faded  parsley  is  quite  in  the 
style  of  an  a  la  mode  beef  eating  house.  .  .  .  How  vexed, 
how  mortified,  Mr.  Beltz  must  have  felt  at  the  rank 
bungling  ignorance  of  pretenders  to  heraldic  knowledge  ! 
I  never  read  anything  more  impertinently  disgusting  and 
flippant  than  the  little  note  1  enclosed  to  you,  and  which 


280 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


the  writer,  in  defiance  of  my  regulations,  took  the  liberty 
of  addressing  directly  to  me.  I  shall  not  forget  this 
inroad  upon  all  my  long,  very  long  established  etiquette 
in  a  hurry.  .  .  .  Mr.  Burke  and  the  person  who  interested 
himself  about  him  with  you,  are  little  aware  of  the 
Vathek-like  ceremonial  of  my  establishment. 

Meeting  a  clergyman  who  declared  himself  a  descendant 
of  Princess  Pocahontas,  **that  is  a  descent  from  a  real 
sovereign  of  nature,  riot  one  of  our  modern  mushrooms," 
Beckford  wrote  to  Clark.  "If  the  reverend  gentleman 
could  give  it  me,  I  would  willingly  give  him  any  three  of 
my  ancestors  he  liked  to  pick  out  in  exchange."  For 
those  persons  who  falsely  claimed  descent  from  distin- 
guished lineage,  Beckford  had  the  utmost  contempt. 
"Heraldry  is  a  useful  study  before  the  time  when  the 
visitations  ceased  (in  1620).  Since  that  time  the  heralds 
have  dispersed  a  vast  quantity  of  spurious  gentility,"  he 
said  one  day  when  discussing  the  subject  with  Cyrus 
Redding.  "  Sir  Isaac  Heard  once  came  to  me  full  of 
tribulation,  to  consult  about  an  application  made  to  him 
by  the  distant  relation  of  a  peer  who  had  succeeded  to  the 
honours.  He  wished  to  have  his  own  arms  quartered  with 
those  of  the  peerage.  Heard  hunted,  until  he  was  tired 
to  death — no  arms  could  he  trace  to  that  branch  of  the 
family.  '  What  shall  I  do,  Mr.  Beckford  ? '  I  was  hard 
at  work  at  the  time  studying  heraldry.  '  Do,  why,  as  he 
never  had  arms,  help  him  out — make  him  some.  .  .  .  You 
asked  my  advice — make  them — don't  lose  a  warm  fee  for 
the  lack  of  finding  material — I  will  invent  them  for  you.' 
*A  quartering,'  he  added  dryly,  'appeared  from  some- 
where.' "  Spurious  pedigree  always  aroused  Beckford's  ire, 
and  when  he  read  Sheffield  Grace's  "Memoirs  of  the 
Family  of  Grace,"  privately  printed  in  1823,  his  wrath 
knew  no  bounds. 

Of  all  the  idle  braggadocio  pedigree  books  I  ever  met 
with — this  volume  is  perhaps  the  most  consummately  flum- 


"LIBER  VERITATIS 


281 


meracious  (he  wrote  on  the  flyleaf  of  the  book  in  1883).  Not 
even  Ulster  K.  of  Arms  himself,  that  indulgent  receiver 
of  goods  of  this  kind,  ever  compiled  or  tolerated  a  choicer 
specimen.  The  numerous  views  of  Totterdown  Castle, 
hideous  burying-places,  shabby  genteel  villas,  quizzical 
modern  portraits,  old  coppers  of  R[oya]l  and  Noble  per- 
sonages, retouched  for  the  occasion  and  lugged  in  head 
and  shoulders,  though  worn  to  the  stumps  like  the  family 
itself,  and  right  worthy  of  the  work  and  in  the  best  keeping 
with  it — in  short,  the  genius  of  the  defunct  Sir  R*^  Gammon 
seems  to  have  presided  over  this  stupendous  hodge-podge 
— Sir  R.  G.,  whose  baronetcy  was  created  and  entailed 
upon  the  Grace  family  by  K[ing]  G[eorge]  III.  Sir  R.  G., 
the  brother-in-law  of  a  brace  of  Dukes,  whose  mother  to 
be  sure  had  the  honour  of  being  one  of  the  Graces,  but 

whose  father,  though  originally  we  take  it  for  granted  

of  in  the  county  of  ,  was,  we  are  equally  certain, 

seated  most  comfortably  and  for  many  years  as  an  apothe- 
cary in  Cow  Lane. 

Beckford's  distaste  for  new  families  and  for  Trtesalliances 
contracted  by  men  and  women  of  rank  led  him  to  compile 
a  "  Liber  Veritatis,"  which,  though  still  preserved  in 
manuscript,  has  not  been,  and  is  not  likely  to  be,  published. 
"  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  let  out  the  *  Liber  Veritatis ' — 
ce  rCest pas  toute  verite  qui  est  bonne  a  dire^''  he  wrote  to 
Cyrus  Redding  in  February  1838 ;  but  to  this  corre- 
spondent he  subsequently  showed  the  work.  "  That  is  my 
*  Liber  Veritatis.'  I  pull  the  peerage  about  sadly.  I 
recently  amused  myself  by  examining  the  claims  of  the 
peerage  to  be  '  gentlemen ' ;  in  the  heraldic  sense,  I  mean. 
You  cannot  think  how  few  there  are  who  can  claim 
ancestral  honours,  yet  all  pretend  to  do  so  the  moment 
they  get  a  coronet.  Nobles  in  the  heraldic  sense  are  not 
peers  exclusively ;  they  are  those  only  who  bear  a  coat  of 
arms,  the  older  are  more  noble — they  need  not  have  a 
title  at  all.  A  minister  may  make  a  peer  of  anybody,  but 
he  can  only  through  the  crown  make  a  noble  of  inferior 
rank  to  a  country  gentleman  whose  family  has  long  borne 
arms.    On  the  continent  a  count  may  take  precedence  of 


282  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

a  prince,  if  not  of  a  royal  line,  if  he  be  a  noble  of  older 
standing.  There  are  not  more  than  thirty  of  the  old 
nobility  in  the  House  of  Lords — why  pretend  it  is  other- 
wise ?  A  peer  of  to-day,  it  is  true,  will  do  for  legislative 
objects.  .  .  "  Every  syllable  is  true,"  he  remarked  of  the 
work  on  another  occasion ;  "  but  I  must  not  publish  it. 
Truth  is  a  bitter  draught." 

It  has  already  been  said  that  after  the  death  of  his 
wife,  Beckford  sent  his  children  to  his  mother,  then  resid- 
ing at  West  End.  Their  education  was  conducted  by  the 
Rev.  John  Lettice  and  a  Swiss  governess,  until  they  grew 
old  enough  to  go  to  live  with  their  father.  Beckford  is 
perhaps  seen  at  his  best  in  his  relations  with  his  younger 
daughter.  She  could  always  control  him,  even  when  he 
was  in  one  of  his  terrible  rages — an  inheritance  from  his 
Jamaican  forebears ;  and  John  Mitford  tells  a  pleasant 
and  amusing  story  of  the  way  they  "  acted  Idiocy  for  two 
or  three  days  at  Fonthill.  They  used  to  amuse  themselves 
in  imitating  the  Peacocks  in  the  Woods.  One  day  Beck- 
ford said  to  her,  '  I  called  to  the  Peacocks  to-day,  and  they 
answered  me.'  '  Ah ! '  said  she,  *  it  was  I  who  heard  you 
and  answered.' "  *  To  amuse  the  girls  he  would  write  little 
verses;  one  of  these  effusions  has  been  preserved  and 
may  be  given  as  a  curiosity. 

IRREGULAR  SONNET  ADDRESSED  TO 

SOLOMON  ABRAMS  DURLACHER, 

THE  FAMOUS  CORNING  MAN. 

Divine  Durlacher,  hail,  whose  plastic  hand 
O'er  my  crisp  Toe  rich  drops  of  comfort  rolled. 
Sure  thou  art  fit  to  lead  the  Godlike  Band 
Of  Pain-assuagers,  fabled  Leeches  old, 
In  better  Worlds  I  mean,  for  here  below 
Nought  that  is  perfect  e'er  can  linger  long ; 
Nay,  whilst  I  meditate  my  artless  Song, 
Some  natural  pangs  I  feel  in  either  Toe ! 
Why  should  I  have  on  torturing  Themes  to  dwell 
— Oh  ,  .  .  my  poor  Corn's  unconscionable  Swell. 

6  Jany.  1800. 

*  British  Museum,  Add.  MSS.,  S2566  f.  34. 


BECKFORD'S  DAUGHTERS  283 

The  girls  inherited  their  mother's  beauty  and  charm, 
and,  in  addition,  some  part  of  their  father's  talent ;  so  that 
it  is  not  surprising  that  when  they  appeared  in  society  they 
made  a  sensation.  The  younger,  Susan  Euphemia,  is 
described  by  Rogers,  in  a  letter  to  his  sister,  dated  Tun- 
bridge,  October  13,  1805,  as  "a  daughter  of  Fonthill, 
very  beautiful,  and  a  prodigy  in  every  respect,"  *  and  by 
Lord  Malmesbury,  "  as  one  of  the  handsomest  women  of 
her  time."t  In  April  1810,  she  married  her  cousin- 
german,  Alexander,  Marquis  of  Douglas  and  Clydesdale, 
afterwards  the  tenth  Duke  of  Hamilton.  Of  this  alliance 
there  was  issue:  (1)  1811,  William  Alexander  Anthony 
Archibald,  eleventh  Duke  of  Hamilton ;  and  (2)  Susan 
Harriet  Catherine,  who  married  in  1832  the  Earl  of 
Lincoln  (son  and  heir  of  the  Duke  of  Newcastle),  from 
whom  she  was  divorced  in  1850. 

The  elder,  Margaret  Maria  Elizabeth,  has  been  de- 
scribed by  Rogers  as  being  in  appearance  and  disposition 
"  a  perfect  angel " ;  "  her  delight  was  not  to  be  admired 
herself,"  he  added,  "  but  to  witness  the  admiration  which 
her  sister  never  failed  to  excite."  J  We  read  of  her  as 
staying  with  Lady  Anne  Hamilton,  at  Tunbridge,  in  1805, 
when  Thomas  Hope  was  making  assiduous  love  to  her.§ 
Beckford  hoped  that  this  suitor  might  marry  her,  for 
he  had  conceived  a  great  admiration  for  the  author  of 
"  Anastasius."  "  Speaking  of  Mr.  Hope  and  *  Anastasius,' " 
Cyrus  Redding  has  recorded,  "  Beckford  declared  it  was 
a  considerable  time  before  he  could  believe  that  story  was 
written  by  him.  Hope  exhibited  less  apparent  capacity 
for  the  production  of  so  fine  a  thing  than  any  author  he 
had  known.  He  had  read  the  work  again  and  again. 
The  fidelity  of  colouring — the  perfect  delineation  of  Greek 
character — the  knowledge  of  detail — the  mind  displayed, 

♦  G.  W.  Claydon,  "  Rogers  and  his  Contemporaries,"  vol.  i.  p.  25. 

f  "Memoirs  of  an  Ex-Minister,"  vol.  ii.  p.  184. 

J     Table  Talk"  (ed.  Powell),  p.  170. 

§  Thomas  Moore,  "Diary,"  vol.  vii.  p.  241. 


284  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

made  it  a  matter  of  mystery  to  him  in  some  degree  still. 
That  any  one  should  live  to  be  so  old  before  he  produced 
a  literary  work  of  such  a  high  character,  was  surprising ; 
the  world  was  full  of  miracles.  Mr.  Hope  s  '  upholstery 
book '  was  no  promising  precursor  of  such  a  tale — it  would 
for  ever  puzzle  him  how  it  happened.  'What  a  fine 
passage  was  that  description  of  the  ruin  of  Euphrosyne — 
how  heart-rending.  I  was  obliged  to  lay  down  the  book 
when  I  read  it  the  first  time  before  I  got  to  the  conclusion 
— it  was  agonising — the  picture  is  worked  up  to  indescrib- 
able horror.' "  Though  a  dutiful  daughter,  Miss  Beckford 
was  not  willing  to  carry  her  obedience  so  far  as  to  marry 
to  please  her  father,  and  in  defiance  of  his  wishes,  she 
married  in  May  1811  Colonel  (afterwards  Lieutenant- 
General)  James  Orde,  a  member  of  a  Northumberland 
family,  a  clever  soldier  and  a  well-to-do  man.  Beckford 
was  furious,  declined  to  see  her  again,  and  never  men- 
tioned her  name.  She  died  in  1818,  but  his  anger  endured 
until  the  end,  and  in  his  will  there  is  no  mention  of  her 
two  daughters. 

With  the  Marquis  of  Douglas  Beckford  had  been  on 
the  best  terms  years  before  the  marriage. 

The  Marquis  of  Douglas  to  William  Beckford 

My  Dear  Beckford, 

Having  promised  you,  previous  to  my  intended 
political  expedition  to  the  Northern  Pole  *  to  visit  those 
shady  scenes  of  Monastic  Grandeur  in  which  you  are  im- 
mersed; perhaps  you  will  be  surprized  at  not  having 
received  before  this  period  some  signs  of  my  existence  in 
these  worldly  regions. 

My  silence  is  not  reprehensible — Idleness  is  not  the 
cause — nor  has  the  shrine  of  friendship  to  condemn 
or  reclaim  the  votary.  Since  my  curious  overturn  in 
Piccadilly  I  have  been  confined  to  my  room,  and  am  still 

*  The  Marquis  was  sent  in  1806  as  Ambassador  to  the  Court  of  St. 
Petersburg. 


LL^  /vt.^*  P^-U/ 

■KUSAN  EUPHEMIA,-DUCHESS  OF  HAMILTON  ' 

Thomas  Philltps  .  v,t-^^  .  .  ^ . 

permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 


THE  MARQUIS  OF  DOUGLAS  285 

suffering  from  the  cruel  effects  of  my  fall.  Some  tutelary 
Angel  must  have  been  at  hand  at  that  critical  moment, 
and  have  snatched  me  from  the  realms  of  futurity.  For 
what  purpose  ?  Heaven  knows.  If  I  could  flatter  myself, 
but  we  are  no  longer  in  those  brilliant  days  of  yore,  when 
individual  achievements  signalised  individual  exertion. 
The  dark  accumulated  smoke  now  envelops  the  whole 
horizon,  and  blends  everything  in  the  general  mass  of 
impenetrable  gloom,  save  where  appears  the  splendour  of 
one  Country  or  the  stupidity  of  many. 

We  are  now  talking  of  nothing  but  the  Russian  Peace, 
whilst  all  the  wise  Politicians  of  St.  Stephen's  with  angry 
and  mysterious  countenances  are  inveighing  against  the 
Successor  of  the  once  magnanimous  Paul,  for  having  so 
basely  anticipated  the  avowed  wish  of  the  Cabinet  of  St. 
James's — I  smile  at  our  National  Simplicity  and  exclaim, 
"  whilst  the  Senate  (that  sink  of  general  corruption  and 
self  interest)  is  at  once  the  Divinity  and  Oracle  of  a 
Premiers  Devotion ;  whilst  the  success  of  an  election  is  to 
be  the  thermometer  of  national  warmth,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  place  the  guide  and  arbiter  of  Continental 
politics,  we  must  ever  remain  the  deluded  Dupe  of  Euro- 
pean negotiations." 

I  am  rather  melancholy — the  Northern  politics  have 
assumed  a  very  different  appearance  since  my  Nomination 
to  St.  Petersburg,  and  if  the  change  of  Cartousky  is  not 
the  forerunner  of  others  of  a  similar  nature  (as  I  shrewdly 
suspect)  I  shall  ere  long  from  inaction  be  frozen  into  a 
Pillar  of  Ice.  Would  to  Heaven  that  I  could  go  directly 
to  the  Spring  and  centre  of  all  present  negotiations, 
instead  of  making  so  tedious  and  long  a  deviation  from  the 
road.  I  have  hinted  my  wish  here  and  I  have  engaged 
{entre  nous  soit  dit)  some  of  the  Satellites  now  moving 
within  the  influence  of  this  Maggior  Piseta  del  secolo  to 
induce  it  to  shine  benignly  upon  an  old  acquaintance. 
I  am  pretty  confident  that  a  ray  of  light  will  not  be  with- 
held from  me,  and  yet  without  some  friendly  collision  it 
may  still  want  its  creative  powers. 

When  we  last  met  you  were  kind  enough  to  say  that 
my  little  all  would  willingly  receive  me  before  my  journey 
to  the  North.  As  soon  as  I  am  well  enough  I  hope  to 
profit  of  your  kindness,  and  shall  gladly  repair  to  your 
Holy  Sanctuary.    I  wish  after  these  pestilential  gales  to 


286 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


enhale  for  a  moment  the  pure  health  of  Heaven,  within 
three  shady  volumes  of  accumulated  virtue,  let  me  identify 
myself  with  every  breeze,  wander  among  those  solemn 
pines,  reply  to  the  rustling  murmurs,  and  gazing  on  the 
varying  tints  of  animated  Nature  forget  the  World  and 
forgive  it. 

But,  my  dear  Friend,  these  are  not  the  joys  now 
declined  for  my  devoted  head.  Futurity,  my  courage 
would  fail  me  were  her  dispensations  open  to  my  view — 
one  thing  however  I  should  find— that  I  not  only  am  but 
ever  shall  be 

Yours  most  affly.,  etc.,  etc., 

Juli/  ^gtk,  1806.  D.  &  c, 

Grosr.  Place. 


William  Beckford  to  the  Marquis  of  Douglas 

Do  not  imagine,  my  dear  Douglas,  that  I  have  re- 
mained in  stupid  ignorance  of  your  progress  to  recovery. 
Almost  every  day  have  I  heard  from  my  faithful  Francis 
how  you  were  going  on. 

Feeling  the  most  sincere,  I  might  add  the  most  enthu- 
siastic friendship  for  you,  all  my  anxieties  have  been  alive 
upon  your  account. 

I  am  not  surprised  at  the  sort  of  interposition  which 
seems  to  have  rescued  you  from  danger. 

You  have  a  Guardian  Angel,  and  are  reserved  (so  my 
interior  Soul  tells  me)  for  all  that  is  good  and  great.  If  I 
did  not  believe  so,  I  should  think  still  more  deeply  of  our 
political  Situation.  The  Russian  News  was  exactly  what 
I  looked  for,  with  a  just  and  prophetic  eye  you  seemed 
contemplating  when  we  last  conversed  together. 

My  intelligence  from  Paris  long  since  gave  me  to 
understand  what  is  now  passing.  More  will  pass,  unless 
such  a  mind  as  yours,  pure,  generous,  unprejudiced  and 
fervid,  is  turned  into  its  proper  current,  not  bound  up  in 
the  regions  of  Ice  and  Nullity. 

I  hope  to  God  you  will  be  soon  sufficiently  recovered 
to  fulfil  your  affectionate  promise  of  passing  a  few  quiet 
days  in  this  solitude. 

If  I  could  but  transport  you  hither  without  too  many 


ALEXANDER,  TENTH  DUKE  OF  HAMILTON,  K.T. 
Sir  Henry' Eaebubn 

By  permission  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton 


THE  MARQUIS  OF  DOUGLAS  287 


jolts  and  irritations,  I  could  answer  for  the  good  effect  the 
aromatic  air  of  our  pine  forests  would  produce  upon  your 
nerves  and  spirits. 

Adieu  for  the  moment,  my  dear  Douglas, 
Believe  me  invariably 

and  affectionately  yours, 
FoNTHiLL  Abbey,  1st  August,  1806.  W.  B. 

Beckford  had  a  great  respect  for  his  son-in-law.  "  I 
speak  without  partiality,"  he  declared  enthusiastically  in 
1838  to  Cyrus  Redding,  "  when  1  say  that  there  are  few 
of  a  more  correct  taste,  or  more  capable  of  giving  an 
opinion  upon  literary  subjects  than  the  Duke.  He  is 
reserved  by  nature ;  but  you  will  hear  what  a  discrimina- 
ting perception  he  possesses.  I  have  marked  passages  [in 
the  'Episodes '  of '  Vathek ']  for  alteration  at  his  suggestion, 
and  I  have  great  confidence  in  the  soundness  of  his  judg- 
ment. He  has  written  nothing.  Men  of  rank,  who  live 
at  ease,  will  seldom  encounter  the  toil  of  writing.  There 
may  be  talent  and  inclination  without  ardour  to  overcome 
labour."  The  Duke,  like  Beckford,  was  an  enthusiastic 
collector  of  books  and  paintings  and  statuary  ;  and  his 
chief  characteristic — and  this  taste,  too,  was  common  to 
both  men — was  intense  pride  of  race.  He  held  it  as  an 
article  of  faith  that  as  the  descendant  of  the  Regent  Arran 
he  was  the  true  heir  to  the  throne  of  Scotland:  in  his 
later  days  he  became  obsessed  by  the  idea  of  his  royal 
descent,  and,  so  that  his  blood  should  not  be  contaminated 
by  any  admixture  with  that  of  lower  quality,  in  1843  he 
practically  ordered  his  son  to  marry  the  Princess  Marie 
Amdie,  youngest  daughter  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden, 
and  cousin  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III. — an  alliance 
that  proved  most  unhappy.  It  was  one  of  Beckford's 
greatest  regrets,  though  he  rarely  made  any  allusion  to  it, 
that  he  had  no  heir :  and  perhaps  it  was  this  feeUng  that 
strengthened  his  affection  for  his  grandson,  whom  he 


288  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

described  as  "a  very  fine  young  man  with  very  many 
noble  qualities,  and,  withal,  without  a  taint  of  affection." 
The  Duke  and  Duchess  often  came  with  their  children  to 
Fonthill  and,  afterwards,  to  Lansdown,  and  Beckford  was 
never  happier  than  when  he  had  them  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR 

Beckford's  fame  as  a  collector  :  His  first  object  books  and 
manuscripts  and  choice  bindings  :  His  troubles  with  book- 
binders :  His  enthusiasm  as  a  collector  :  His  methods  :  His 
knowledge  of  pictures  :  His  love  of  Raphael's  works  :  Some 
criticisms  :  On  the  neglect  of  art  by  governments  :  His  know- 
ledge of  prints  :  His  attitude  towards  rival  collectors  :  His 
dislike  for  Horace  Walpole  :  The  Strawberry  Hill  sale  :  His 
correspondence  concerning  the  items  he  desired  :  His  arrogance  : 
His  anger  at  any  failure  of  his  agent  :  His  enthusiasm  even  in 
the  last  month  of  his  life 

Not  only  as  an  author  and  as  an  eccentric  has  Beckford's 
name  come  down  to  posterity :  he  secured  a  fame  as  a 
collector  that  will  preserve  his  memory  for  many  genera- 
tions to  come.  Books  and  manuscripts  were  the  first 
objects  of  his  ambition  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  admir- 
able was  the  discrimination  he  showed  in  his  purchases ; 
not  only  were  the  volumes  curious  and  interesting,  but 
the  bindings  were  choice  and  the  names  of  former  owners 
distinguished.  He  had  books  bearing  the  names  or 
devices  of  Francis  I.,  Henry  II.,  Diane  de  Poictiers, 
Henry  III.,  Henry  IV.,  Marguerite  de  Navarre,  Cardinal 
de  Bourbon,  Grolier,  De  Thou,  Madame  de  Pompadour, 
Gerardot  de  Preford,  Guyon  de  Sardiere,  Maioli,  Lourinus, 
Thuanus,  Ketz,  Soubin,  and  other  distinguished  persons  ; 
and  binding  by  every  famous  worker  in  his  branch  of  art — 
Nicholas  and  Clovis  Eve,  De  Rome,  Le  Monnier,  Boyer, 
Simier,  Le  Gascon,  Thouvenin,  Montagu,  Welcker, 
Desseuil,  Padeloup,  Bouzerian,  Roger  Payne,  Kalthoeben, 
Baumgarten,  Staggemeier,  Charles  Leuss,  Johnson,  Clarke, 
Bedford,  and  the  rest. 

289  T 


/ 


290  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Enthusiastic  about  fine  bindings,  it  was  a  great  trouble 
to  him  that  he  could  find  so  few  competent  workmen  among 
his  contemporaries,  and  his  comments  on  those  whom  he 
employed  were  as  caustic  as,  to  a  later  generation,  they 
are  amusing. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

You  observe  that  the  uncut  "  Tressau  "  will  not  injure 
by  rebinding.  The  very  sound  of  binding  makes  me 
shudder.  The  Brutes  were  all  paid  in  full  long  since,  but 
I  have  some  notion  that  a  sum  of  £31  is  still  owing  to 
Beast  Wilson,  who  would  have  been  long  since  at  the 
Regent's  Park  Zoological,  etc.,  were  I  empowered  to 
make  out  the  mandamus — cursed  Brute  who  lost  a 
precious  scrap  of  unpaid  puffery  from  the  "  Memoirs  of 
Extraordinary  Painters,"  he  had  to  bind  !  .  .  .  To  Beast 
Wilson  adieu  for  evermore  !  But  whether  I  shall  say  all 
hail !  to  Beast  Smith  or  the  other  Brute  you  mention  I 
cannot  determine  yet. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

Your  present  Brutes  are  ten  times  more  negligent, 
lazy,  and  brutal  than  any  of  the  former  ones.  It  is 
impossible — for  me,  at  least — to  bear  with  such  perverse, 
insolent,  and  almost  unaccountable  beastliness  ! 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

I  send  two  very  curious  and  extremely  rare  little 
books,  to  be  placed,  with  strong  recommendations,  in 
angelic  hands.  The  "  Piedra  Gloriosa  "  (with  plates  by 
Rembrandt),  to  be  bound  in  the  finest  blue  Morocco- 
joints,  etc.,  in  the  style  of  Bunyan,  only  with  a  few 
delicate  lines  of  gold.  The  "  ^Bsopi  Fabulas,"  in  brown 
calf,  pannelled,  etc.,  as  like  the  original  binding  as  possible 
— in  both  cases  kept  large  and  rough-gilt  accordingly.  .  .  . 
I  recommend  the  Angel  to  do  his  best,  and  in  his  best  style. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  291 


William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  8  June,  1839. 

Mr.  Beckford  has  selected  the  following.  ...  I  am 
in  no  hurry  to  bind  or  even  letter  any  of  these — a  voice  is 
continually  crying  in  my  ears, 

Bind  no  more 
MacQarke  has  murdered  binding. 

Did  you  not  announce  in  a  former  letter  another  volume 
of  mine  bound  by  the  same  bungling  hand  ?  It  will  accom- 
pany the  next  cargo,  I  suppose. 

Beckford  had  a  magnificent  library  of  books  of  travel, 
and  a  fine  collection  of  Aldines  and  Elzevirs,  and  he  was 
always  anxious  to  add  to  the  latter.  "  Was  the  Elzevir 
Cassar  so  very  fine,  so  very  tall  ?  "  he  inquired  of  Clarke 
after  a  sale.  "If  it  was  I  wish  you  had  tried  for  it. 
Giving  a  lift  to  Elzevirs  is  politic,  as  we  have  so  supreme 
a  stock."  This  shows  that  Beckford  was  a  practical  col- 
lector, and  the  proof  of  his  success  in  this  direction  is  that 
when  the  Beckford  library  was  dispersed  by  auction  in 
1882-3  it  realised  £73,551  18^.,  a  sum,  it  is  supposed, 
that  showed  a  handsome  profit  on  its  outlay.  A  perusal  of 
the  catalogue  is  in  itself  a  delight  to  the  lover  of  books, 
and  the  collector  was  right  who  said,  "  such  a  sale  has  not 
occurred  in  England  before  within  the  memory  of  living 
man." 

To  the  amassing  of  his  library  Beckford  devoted  money 
and  time  without  stint,  he  brought  all  his  vast  knowledge 
to  bear,  and  a  great  enthusiasm,  without  which  last  all 
the  rest  are  deprived  of  more  than  half  their  usefulness. 
Determination,  and  perseverance,  and  tact,  he  devoted  to 
the  service.  "  When  in  Spain  I  saw  a  Murillo  (the  sub- 
ject of  which  was  St.  John  asleep,  with  angels  in  the 
background  tending  his  sheep)  in  a  distinguished  prelate's 
collection,"  he  told  a  friend,  when  gossiping  of  old  times. 


/ 


292  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

"  I  was  anxious  to  possess  it.  The  pious  possessor  would 
listen  to  no  offer.  Neither  my  money  nor  my  entreaties 
could  move  him.  I  returned  to  England ;  found  a  pile 
of  books  of  a  very  curious  kind  in  one  of  my  lumber- 
rooms  ;  took  them  back  with  me  to  Spain,  and  the  holy 
man  could  not  resist  them.  We  made  an  exchange.  I 
got  the  Murillo,  and  he  the  books."  The  correspondence 
printed  in  this  chapter  shows  the  interest  he  took  in  his 
collections  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

When  Beckford  was  living  at  Bath,  he  had  generally 
to  rely  upon  the  reports  of  his  agents,  but  when  he  came 
to  London  he  never  missed  the  opportunity  to  call  on  the 
dealer  in  books  and  prints.  Early  in  the  morning  he  would 
sally  forth  from  his  house  in  Park  Street  to  visit  a  few 
friends,  and  then  would  go  to  the  booksellers  and  print- 
sellers.  He  always  went  in  his  carriage,  taking  with  him 
a  great  roll  of  banknotes,  for  it  was  his  custom  to  pay  at 
once  for  everything  he  bought,  and  to  take  it  away  with 
him.  He  would  offer  a  fair  price  for  a  picture,  a  print,  or 
a  book,  and,  having  implicit  faith  in  his  judgment,  could 
never  be  induced  to  pay  more.  If  the  dealer  refused  the 
offer,  Beckford  would  without  more  ado  abandon  the 
purchase  ;  but  while  he  was  not  niggardly  in  his  tender, 
the  sum  he  mentioned  was  his  ultimatum.  Every  one 
who  dealt  in  the  best  pictures  and  in  choice  books  knew 
him  well,  and  so  great  was  his  knowledge  that  sometimes 
these  articles  were  shown  to  him  for  no  other  purpose 
than  to  learn  from  his  offer  their  worth.  Mr.  Frith 
remembers  seeing  him  one  day  at  Phillips',  the  Bond 
Street  dealer,  who  was  exhibiting  a  Holy  Family, 
attributed  by  many  to  Raphael,  though  admittedly  of 
doubtful  authenticity.  Beckford  looked  at  the  picture, 
and  then,  murmuring  in  language  of  which  the  following 
gives  but  a  faint  idea,  "  That  d — d  thing  a  Raphael ! 
Great  Heavens,  think  of  that  now !  Can  there  be  such 
d — d  fools  as  to  believe  that  a  Raphael !  What  a  d — d 
fool  I  was  to  come  here  1 "  and,  without  a  glance  at  the 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  293 

other  pictures  in  the  gallery,  the  wrathful  old  man 
departed.* 

Beckford  was  the  proud  possessor  of  the  St.  Catherine 
of  Raphael,  now  in  the  National  Gallery,  and  his  enthu- 
siasm for  that  great  work  knew  no  bounds.  "Behold 
that — ah !  ah ! "  he  said  to  a  friend  who  came  to  see 
him  at  Bath.  "Oh,  gracious  heaven — is  she  not  beautiful? 
What  a  mouth  ! — look  at  the  corners  of  that  mouth ! — 
no  impure  twistings — all  purity  ;  and  the  eyes — those 
eyes  that  seem  to  be  looking  into  the  very  countenance 
of  our  divine  Saviour  with  such  a  holy  devotion.  There, 
there,  now  you  see  what  Raphael  is  !  It  is  one  of  the 
very  sweetest  heads  Raphael  ever  painted.  I  know  of 
none  so  beautiful,  except  in  his  picture  of  the  *  Perla.' 
But  the  finest  of  all  Raphael's  productions  is  the  '  Spasimo,' 
which  is  in  the  Escurial ;  yes,  it  is  finer  than  the  '  Trans- 
figuration '  as  we  know  it,  for  1  saw  it  at  Paris  with  a 
swarm  of  picture-cleaners  (those  skinners  of  pictures), 
cleaning  and  scraping,  and  making  spots  on  it  like  a  group 
of  bluebottle-flies  ;  besides,  there  was  a  hole  in  the  centre 
which  was  filled  up.  The  Redeemer  is  very  fine,  but 
infinitely  inferior  to  our  Lord,  as  portrayed  in  the  '  Spasimo,' 
who  is  bowed  down  to  the  earth  by  the  weight  of  His  cross 
and  His  sufferings,  but  in  the  expression  of  whom,  Raphael 
has  made  visible  an  inward  satisfaction  over  pain,  that 
He  is  yet  to  save  the  world."  To  the  same  visitor,  an 
artist,  he  insisted  upon  the  necessity  of  studying  the  engrav- 
ings of  Mark  Antonio.  "  It  is  here,"  he  said,  "  that  we 
can  find  Raphael  pure — for  even  where  his  pictures  have 
been  saved  from  the  scarifying  of  picture  cleaners — still 
the  varnish  has  been  laid  on  coat  after  coat,  or  the  dirt 
eaten  in  so  as  to  much  impair  the  delicate  little  touches — 
and  it  is  these  which  give  that  perfection  to  his  works. 
The  greatest  number  of  his  pictures  were  commenced  by 
his  pupils,  especially  by  Julio  Romano ;   Raphael  then 

*  W.  P.  Frith,  "  My  Autobiography  and  Reminiscences/'  vol.  ii. 
p.  131. 


294 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


came  and  put  the  finishing  touches,  but  if  pearl-ashes, 
vinegar,  and  spirits  of  wine,  are  employed,  Raphael  is 
quacked  to  death,  and  Julio  Romano  peeps  into  the  world 
half  born." 

Besides  Bellini's  "  Doge  of  Venice "  he  had  in  his 
collection  two  Vernets  and  Claude  Lorraine's  "  Christ 
appearing  to  Mary  Magdelene  in  the  Garden,"  upon  which 
last  he  commented,  "  It  is  a  vile  composition,  and  except 
for  that  peculiar  and  happy  hue,  like  the  bloom  on  a  fresh- 
gathered  plum,  so  exclusively  Claude's,  and  which  you 
find  here  purer  than  I  ever  saw  it  before,  I  would  not  keep 
the  picture  an  hour."  He  possessed  the  two  famous 
Claudes  from  the  Altieri  Collection,  portraits  of  himself 
and  his  daughters  by  Romney,  and  Benjamin  West's 
"  King  Lear,"  for  which  he  had  a  profound  admiration. 
"  See  how  Lear's  nostril  is  inflated,  like  an  Arab  in  a 
thunderstorm.  I  solemnly  declare  the  figure  of  Lear  is  as 
fine  as  the  *  Saviour,'  and  the  tone  is  as  fine  as  fine  can 
be.  Who  could  suppose  that  the  genius  who  had  con- 
ceived and  executed  this,  could  have  painted  such  a 
wretched  daub  as  his  picture  of  '  The  Sick  brought  before 
Christ '  in  the  National  Gallery.  Oh,  good  God  !  he  must 
have  been  inspired  when  he  painted  this — there's  drama, 
expression,  drawing,  everything."  He  had  water-colour 
sketches  of  Fonthill  Abbey  by  Turner,  but  the  later  works 
of  that  artist  he  could  not  appreciate.  "  He  paints  now 
as  if  his  brain  and  imagination  were  mixed  up  on  his  palate 
with  soapsuds  and  lather.  One  must  be  born  again  to 
understand  his  pictures."  On  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  he 
pronounced  judgment :  "  He  is  a  dandy  artist ;  he  paints 
a  la  Almack  ;  not  but  what  his  pictures  of  the  Pope  and 
John  Kemble  are  very  fine.  I  mean  the  small  picture  of 
John  Kemble  as  Hamlet.  .  .  .  He  will  go  to  purgatory 
for  painting  his  Satan  invoking  his  legions.  Could  any- 
thing be  more  dreadful  ?  "  Though  he  had  a  very  qualified 
respect  for  Lawrence  as  a  painter,  for  the  same  artist  as  a 
collector  he  entertained  a  very  different  feeling,  and,  when 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  205 

Lawrence  died  in  1830,  was  desirous  to  purchase  the  draw- 
ings of  Michael  Angelo  and  Raphael  he  had  brought 
together ;  but  the  price  was  £22,000,  and  Beckford,  who 
was  spending  money  freely  at  Lansdown,  could  not  spare 
this  sum  at  the  moment.  He  was  strongly  of  opinion 
that  the  collection  should  be  purchased  for  the  nation,  and 
lamented  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  handful  of  people, 
there  was  in  England  no  sound  taste  for  the  arts.  "  Col- 
lections are  made  from  ostentation  by  people  of  wealth, 
who  do  not  know  a  good  from  a  bad  picture.  The  govern- 
ment is  not  sensible  of  the  value  of  art  to  the  nation.  It 
will  lavish  money  upon  anything  else,  but  it  grudges  money 
for  the  arts.  A  minister  picks  a  committee  of  taste  out 
of  the  House  of  Commons,  as  he  would  a  committee  for 
any  other  purpose,  and  his  committee  does  nothing  but 
blunder.  There  must  be  a  feeling  for  art — mere  admira- 
tion won't  do — people  admire,  and  affect  to  be  struck  with 
works  of  art,  because  others  affect  the  same  thing,  just 
as  an  opera  audience  cries, '  Wonderful ! '  at  a  performance 
of  which  it  does  not  comprehend  a  syllable.  The  beauty 
of  art  must  be  inwardly  felt — the  mind  in  it  must  be  read, 
interpreted.  There  is  Raphael — he  is  at  the  head  of 
painting  everybody  says — his  pictures  it  is  safe  to  admire 
and  applause.  Ask  why  Raphael  is  the  prince  of  painters 
— they  cannot  tell  you.  Now  an  Italian  amateur  of  the 
lowest  order  will  explain  all  this,  and  more.  A  just  taste 
for  art  is  a  cultivated  taste ;  there  is  no  royal  road  to  it, 
as  too  many  think  there  is." 

When  money  was  not  so  plentiful  with  him,  Beckford 
perforce  abandoned  the  purchase  of  paintings  and  instead 
devoted  his  attention  to  prints,  to  the  acquisition  of  which 
he  brought  the  same  enthusiasm.  His  knowledge  of  prints 
and  etchings  was  as  sound  as  his  knowledge  of  pictures ; 
he  could  at  once  detect  a  copy  from  an  original,  and  he 
knew  all  the  private  marks  of  the  artists  and  the  great 
collectors.  He  brought  together  a  fine  collection  of 
engravings  of  Albert  Diirer,  Amman,  Callot,  Faithom^, 


296 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Bartolozzi,  and  Blake ;  but  the  great  feature  was  a  fine 
series  of  five  hundred  engraved  works  of  Van  Dyck  in  the 
earliest  states,  that  at  the  sale  of  1882-3  realised  no  less 
than  £2850.  "  Few  collectors,"  he  said  with  truth,  "  are 
so  nice  about  impression  as  myself" 

It  was  not  Beckford  who,  when  a  rival  collector  outbid 
him  at  an  auction  sale,  declared,  "I'll  have  that  book  when 
the  collection  is  sold  at  your  death " ;  but  this  was  the 
spirit  that  animated  him,  and  he  had  a  fine  hatred  as  well 
as  a  healthy  contempt  for  all  dealers  and  collectors  who 
interfered  with  his  projects.  Indeed,  in  his  last  years  his 
attitude  towards  others  became  one  of  unmitigated  intoler- 
ance. At  the  Strawberry  Hill  sale  Mary  Berry  wished 
to  buy  a  piece  of  Japan  that  had  been  hers,  and,  thinking 
it  would  go  for  £4  or  £5  she  asked  a  friend  to  buy  it.  To 
her  dismay  she  was  called  upon  to  pay  over  £60.  She  made 
inquiries  as  to  the  opponent  who  had  run  up  the  price  and 
found  it  was  Henry  George  Bohn  bidding  on  behalf  of 
Beckford.  To  the  latter  she  wrote,  offering  to  let  him 
have  the  piece  at  the  price  of  his  last  bid,  only  to  receive 
the  reply  that,  "  The  Old  Man  of  the  Mountain  will  not  take 
the  article,  and  wishes  to  make  Miss  Berry  pay  for  her  im- 
pudence in  opposing  him."*  The  story  may  be  apocrj^hal, 
anyhow  in  this  form,  for  Mitford,  who  tells  it,  cannot 
be  trusted  to  be  impartial  when  writing  of  Beckford ; 
but  it  may  be  regarded  as  typical  of  Beckford's  attitude 
towards  his  opponents.  His  rage  knew  no  bounds  when 
he  was  outbid,  as  the  correspondence  of  his  later  years 
shows :  the  very  name  of  Henry  Martin  Bohn  made  the 
same  impression  on  him  that  a  red  rag  has  on  a  bull. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown  [1832]. 

Admirable !  We  shall  teach  them  the  immense  value  of 
some  of  the  worst  books  from  the  F[onthill]  Library  in 

*  J.  Mitford  :  "  Unpublished  Note  Books  "  (B.  M.,  Add.  MSS.  $^56^, 
p.  34). 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  297 


time.  The  scrawled  Euripides  was  nobly  paid  for  by 
Bohn,  and  the  Ramble,  etc.,  most  extravagantly  by 
H.H.H.  Stick  to  them — open  their  pores — and  then, 
just  in  time,  the  nipping  front.  You  must  struggle  most 
vigorously  for  the  Herodian,  which  drop  at  a  brimming 
price  if  you  can  work  them  up  to  it  by  eager  looks  and 
gestures.  608  must  be  ours,  unless  they  choose  to  pay  a 
more  than  Thorpian  price  for  De  Thou.  If  you  are 
caught,  never  mind  upon  this  occasion  ;  it  is  a  respectable 
book  in  itself,  and,  if  in  fine  and  perfect  condition,  truly 
desirable.  610  the  Cherub  styles  beautiful,  and  beautifully 
will  he  set  at  you,  I  make  no  doubt.  .  .  .  When  you  can 
give  them  a  rap,  rap  hard ! 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown  [1833]. 

You  must  set  at  Bohn  with  more  virulence  than  ever. 
Let  him  hear  the  crack  of  your  whip  upon  every  occasion. 
The  droppings  upon  Thorpe,  Cimitelli,  etc.,  were  judicious 
and  well  merited.  Pursue  them  all  to  the  death!  No 
quarter !  The  bloody  flag  waving  continually  above  their 
heads !  £16  for  the  stained,  probably  trumpery,  MSS  1 
Admirable  !  .  .  .  Chatterton  I  have  no  particular  predilec- 
tion for  but  being  a  Fonthill  they  will  set  at  you — in  that 
case  MAKE  THEM  PAY  I  .  .  .  Look  sharp,  and  they 
may  become  flat.  I  am  for  punishing  them  when  I  can, 
and  would  do  so  in  the  best  style  of  the  Fancy  should  an 
opportunity  offer.  My  fist  and  my  horsewhip  are  both 
longing  to  get  at  them.  ...  I  would  have  the  Brute  and 
his  followers  trampled  upon  like  dirty  rugs  and  beaten  like 
dusty  carpets.  .  .  .  You  have  not  allowed,  I  suppose,  the 
fine  copy  of  Dumont  in  green  morocco  to  drop  into  one  of 
the  set's  lap  too  quickly  ?  One  hundred  nicely  executed 
drawings  given  up  to  Bohn  for  £5  10s.  I  For  £5  10s.  to 
Bohn  1 1  to  Bohn  for  £5  10s. ! ! !  Grant  me  patience,  gracious 
Heaven !  One  hundred  drawings  to  Bohn  for  £5  10s. ! 
To  Bohn  ! !  To  Bohn ! ! !  I  shall  never  recover  this  stroke. 
It  is  worse  than  the  palsy. 


298 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown,  October,  1833. 

So,  then,  our  inveterate  opponent  in  book  battles  [i.e, 
Henry  Martin  Bohn]  has  been  removed  to  another  existence, 
it  appears,  rather  suddenly.  Did  he  die  by  the  pop  of  a 
pistol,  the  slash  of  a  razor,  or  the  too  frequent  visitation  of 
the  bottle  ?  Who  now  v^^ill  the  Gohath  of  Bedford  Street, 
Covent  Garden,  get  to  back  him  blindfold,  through  foul  and 
fair,  thick  and  thin  ?  .  .  .  The  papers  tell  us  the  immense 
accumulation  of  books  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  ventiplicates 
and  centiplicates,  are  amply  sufficient  to  furnish  a  365  days' 
sale  !  To  avoid  the  oppressive  indigestible  glut  I  wish 
Parhament  would  decree  this  worthy  a  Roman  funeral,  and 
having  commanded  his  well-spiced,  port-soaken  carcass  to 
be  placed  on  the  top  of  a  Martinish-looking  pile  composed 
of  his  entire  collection,  brought  forth  from  all  their  filthy 
sinks  and  dirty  corners,  foreign  and  domestic,  ordain  the 
whole  to  be  reduced  to  ashes. 

William  Beckfoiid  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown, 

A  variorum  Rabelais  was  much  lauded  in  one  of  the 
Cherub's  puffs.  Pity  you  passed  it  by  vn^thout  calling  my 
attention  to  so  fine  and  useful  a  book!  It  fell  cheap 
to  that  pest  Cimitelli,  one  of  the  Cherub's  right-beloved, 
right-trusted,  and  right-frequently-smiled-upon  adherents. 
Lucky  for  him  that  I  am  at  Bath !  Were  I  in  the  way 
no  opportunity  should  be  neglected  of  making  him  pay 
exorbitantly.  I  owe  him  many  and  many  a  grudge  for 
assisting  the  sweet  kind  Cherub  in  setting  at  me  on  various 
occasions !  O  that  I  had  been  upon  the  field  I  How 
I  would  have  worked  them ! 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown, 

I  wish  the  cholera  would  visit  Prince  CimiteUi  and 
break  up  both  him  and  his  collection.  I  abhor  the  very 
sound  of  his  churchyardish  sort  of  a  name  !  [Of]  Many  and 
many  a  fine  volume,  and  many  and  many  a  sterling  pound 
has  that  brilliant  ornament  of  the  Cherub's  paradise 
deprived  me. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  2%9 

Beckford  hated  Horace  Walpole  as  only  one  collector 
can  hate  another,  and  his  feelings  towards  him  never  under- 
went any  change.  Two  score  years  after  the  great  letter- 
writer  had  been  buried,  Beckford  unburdened  himself  of 
his  sentiments  towards  the  owner  of  what  he  called  "  the 
toyshop  of  Strawberry  Hill "  in  the  course  of  a  conversa- 
tion  with  Cyrus  Redding.  "  Walpole  hated  me,"  he  said. 
"  I  began  Fonthill  two  or  three  years  before  his  death. 
Mischief-making  people  annoyed  him  by  saying  I  intended 
to  buy  up  all  his  nic-nackery  when  he  was  dead.  Some 
things  I  might  have  wished  to  possess — a  good  deal  1  would 
not  have  taken  as  a  gift.  The  place  was  a  miserable  child's 
box — a  species  of  gothic  mousetrap — a  reflection  of  Wal- 
pole's  littleness.  I  happened  to  be  adding  to  the  Fonthill 
collection  of  pictures  at  the  time,  and  was  made  a  bugbear 
of.  Mr.  Damer  and  Lord  Waldgrave  may  thank  me  for  their 
legacy.  My  having  his  playthings  he  could  not  tolerate, 
even  in  idea,  so  he  bequeathed  them  beyond  my  reach,  as 
he  not  improbably  surmised.  .  .  .  He  built  everything 
upon  family  honours  and  gossip — his  writings  are  portraits 
of  himself.  He  would  have  abused  my  heraldic  emblazon- 
ments at  Fonthill.  He  was  full  of  spleen.  He  would 
have  written  and  talked  me  and  my  buildings  down  to  the 
ground — yet  he  affected  the  philosopher." 

The  Strawberry  Hill  collections  were  at  last,  in  1842, 
put  upon  the  market,  and  Beckford,  then  eighty- two  years 
of  age,  plunged  delightedly  into  the  fray,  "  all  agog,  all 
ardour,  all  intrepidity,"  as  he  expressed  it.  Well  might 
the  Morning  Post  say  that  he  had  been  "  laying  about  him 
with  all  the  vigour  of  youth  "  !  The  first  rumours  of  the 
Strawberry  Hill  sale  reached  him  in  a  letter  from  Henry 
George  Bohn,  the  son  of  his  old  antagonist,  who  now 
bought  for  him  in  the  place  of  Clarke. 


300 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Monday,  6tk  July,  1840. 

The  Claudes  are  not  vanity  "morceaux,"  but  highly 
instructive  and  interesting  to  me,  so  I  am  quite  satisfied. 

Had  I  been  at  your  elbow,  Sir,  should  not  have 

carried  off  the  musee  drawing. 

I  now  return  the  portfolio,  having  made  my  selection. 
Barnard's  Stanier  in  my  russia-bound  book  is  inferior  to 
yours,  which  I  therefore  retain. 

The  Fries  volumes  may  boast  of  all  your  very  fine 
Vandyck  rarities,  with  the  addition  of  the  original  etching 
of  Titian  and  his  Bonaroba. 

I  am  most  grateful,  my  dear  sir,  for  your  clear,  intelU- 
gent  information  about  S[trawberry]  Hill,  and  ardently 
wish  a  sale  would  give  me  an  opportunity  of  profiting  by 
it ;  but  alas !  this  marvellous  sale  still  remains  enveloped 
in  such  dense  clouds,  that  I  doubt  whether  the  potency  of 
Magnus  Apollo,  G.  Robins  himself,  will  be  able  to  dispel 
them. 

Pray  inform  ,  who,  I  am  happy  to  find,  under- 
stands the  immutable  etiquette  of  the  court  of  Lansdown 
Bagdad,  that  I  purchased  the  Perugino  of  Pizzetta  (a 
famous  picture  scraper)  some  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago. 
He  told  me  it  came  directly  from  Perugia,  but  from  what 
church  or  collection  took  decent  care  not  to  certify. 

The  price  mentioned,  viz.,  800,  is  correct. 

In  case  you  should  pay  the  S[trawberry]  H[ill]  collection 
another  visit,  favour  me  with  a  few  more  observations.  I 
only  wish  in  the  last  instance  they  had  extended  to  several 
pages. 

In  corresponding  with  you,  my  dear  sir,  I  shall  never 
call,  "  hold,  enough."  ^ 

Impatiently  Beckford  waited  for  the  catalogue  of  the 
Strawberry  Hill  sale ;  and  when  it  came  studied  it  care- 
fully, and  discharged  at  Bohn's  devoted  head  a  very 
fusillade  of  letters,  the  burden  of  which  was,  "  above  all 
things  do  not  relax  in  attention  to  Strawberry  Hill." 


*  Cyrus  Redding :  "  Memoirs  of  William  Beckford,"  vol.  ii.  p.  374, 


BECKl  ORD  THE  COLLECTOR  301 


William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn  * 

I  propose  coming  to  town  very  shortly,  and  hope  we 
shall  meet  next  Wednesday,  9th,  for  "  despatch  of  busi- 
ness "  between  the  hours  of  4  and  5. 

You  will  find  me  aU  agog,  ALL  ARDOUR,  ALL 
INTREPIDITY. 

The  S[trawberry]  Hill  wonderment  is  so  much  upon 
the  decline,  having  been  written  down  by  the  Times  and 
other  papers  most  vigorously,  that  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised if  good  bargains  were  to  be  met  with  on  the  day  of 
trial. 

No  doubt  you  have  scrutinously  gone  through  and 
through  all  the  portfolios  ;  your  observations  would  be 
highly  acceptable. 

Are  not  the  He^logias,  Lots  100  t  and  102,f  remark- 
ably fine  ?    I  doubt  whether  mine  are  as  good. 

117. — Views  of  London,  &c.  :§  called  very  curious. 
Are  they  so  ? 

8th  day,  128. — A  strange  omnium  gatherum,  Wilton 
Gardens,  CoUeart,  &c.,||  and  what  say  you  to  129,Brantome, 
Mariette,  &c.  ?  f 

6th  day,  46.** — I  hope  the  little  Callot  will  not  turn 

*  The  notes  to  this  and  the  following  letter  are  copied  word  for 
word  from  the  catalogue  of  the  Strawberry  Hill  sale. 

•j-  Holland's  "  He<^logia  Anglica,"  folio,  with  very  fine  impressions  of 
the  plates,  from  the  library  of  R.  Thoresby,  very  rare  (1  vol.).  Knocked 
down  to  Lilly,  £S  Ss. 

%  Holland's  He<^^logia/'  and  with  the  second  part  the  lives  and 
portraits  of  the  Foreign  Reformers,  folio,  very  fine  impressions  of  the 
plates  (1  vol.).    Knocked  down  to  Lilly,  £S  I2s.  6d. 

§  A  collection  of  Views  of  London  and  its  Environs,  oblong  4to,  very 
curious,  from  the  Library  of  A.  C.  Ducarel,  and  a  collection  of  Plates,  by 
Cochin,  4to,  very  curious  (2  vols.).  Knocked  down  to  H.  G.  Bohn  (for 
Beckford),  £3  ]0*. 

II  An  oblong  4to  vol.  of  prints,  by  Galle,  on  Gardening,  ditto 
of  Wilton  Gardens,  and  ditto  of  prints  engraved  by  Colleart  and  Galle 
(3  vols.).    Knocked  down  to  Captain  Leckie- Graves,  ,£4  6s. 

%  A  small  folio  volume  containing  180  prints,  portraits  of  illustrious 
persons  in  France.  This  volume  belonged  to  the  celebrated  Brantome  ; 
the  several  notes  are  inscribed  by  him,  from  the  collection  of  Mariette 
of  Paris.    Knocked  down  to  —  Newton,  Esq.,  for  £2  5s. 

**  Callot's  Pocket  Book,  a  small  oblong  volume,  in  black  morocco, 
with  beautiful  drawings  by  this  very  rare  master,  and  a  small  volume 
containing  Prints  by  Callot,  representing  the  History  of  the  Prodigal  Son, 
the  Miseries  of  War,  &c.  (2  vols.).  Knocked  down  to  the  Right  Hon. 
Thos.  Grenville,  £43  Is, 


302 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


out  populous,  but  even  if  it  does,  it  must  not  escape  me — 
pray  take  good  care  of  that.  Remember  to  put  aside  for 
me  an  architectural  drawing  by  Perino  del  Vaga,  with 
statues  in  niches  ;  think  of  me  when  any  drawings  of  this 
kind  turn  up.  I  have  some  already  of  this  class,  very 
fine. 

62,  8th  day.* — A  folio  of  prints,  &;c.,  from  the  antique, 
in  the  Cabinet  de  Girardon,  /  must  have.  The  impressions 
are  good,  particularly  the  portrait, — it  is  scarce — MISS 
IT  NOT. 

If  you  have  leisure  to  delve  deep  into  the  round  tower 
ruin,  many  and  many  interesting  odds  and  ends  (in  my 
way)  may  be  picked  up. 

After  all,  such  an  opportunity  as  this  may  not  occur 
again  in  a  hurry. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  17  April,  1842. 

Depend  upon  it,  my  dear  Sir,  there  are  many,  very 
many  books  at  S[trawberry]  Hill  well  worthy  of  yr.  atten- 
tion— not  one  of  the  lots  marked  should  I  like  to  miss. 
The  P.  Knight  t — the  Hunter  coin  J — the  Spencer 
Lenore  § — the  Maison  de  Gondi — very  old  morocco — the 
Historic  Doubts,  illus^ — with  MSS.  notes  || — the  effects  of 
gardening,f  ditto. 

*  A  folio  of  splendid  prints  from  the  antiques  in  the  cabinet  of 
Gerardon,  the  celebrated  French  sculptor,  very  scarce  (1  vol.).  Knocked 
down  to  Beckford  (in  his  own  name),  ,£2  15*. 

f  Richard  Payne  Knight's  ^'^  Account  of  the  Worship  of  Priapus,"  4to, 
elegant  red  morocco,  a  present  from  the  author.  See  a  note  in  the  fly- 
leaf by  H(orace)  W(alpole),  extremely  rare.  Knocked  down  to  Sir 
Thomas  Phillips,  £22  1*. 

I  Numorum  Veterum  Populorum,  et  Urbium  qui  in  Museo  Gulielmi 
Hunter,"  4to,  with  fine  plates  of  coins,  bound  in  morocco,  with  manuscript 
notes.    Knocked  down  to  Bohn  (for  Beckford),  £3  15*. 

§  Burgher's  "Leonora,"  translated  from  the  German,  by  W.  R. 
Spencer,  Esq.,  with  prints,  from  the  designs  of  Lord  D.  Beauclerc, 
elegantly  bound  in  morocco,  folio.  Knocked  down  to  Bohn  (for  Beck- 
ford), £2  2*. 

II  "  Historic  Doubts  on  the  Life  and  Reign  of  Richard  HI.,"  by 
Horace  Walpole,  4to,  illustrated  with  prints  and  drawings,  and  manuscript 
notes,  and  bound  in  calf.  Knocked  down  to  Bohn  (for  Beckford),  £3  10*. 

%  "  An  Essay  on  Modern  Gardening,"  by  Horace  Walpole,  and 
translated  into  French  by  the  Due  de  Nivernois,  4to,  illustrated  with 
prints,  drawings,  and  manuscript  notes,  and  bound  in  calf.  Knocked 
down  to  Bohn  (for  Beckford),  £2  5s. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  303 


I  regret  giving  you  so  much  trouble,  being  well  aware 
of  the  value  of  your  time,  but  this  sale  interests  me  so 
very  much  that  I  cannot  avoid  again  and  again  calling 
yr.  attention  to  it.  If  the  books  come  to  town  and  are 
better  catalogued,  the  task  will  be  less  irksome. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  give  further  lists  of  the  items 
Beckford  desired  to  purchase  at  this  sale,  or  to  enumerate 
those  that  fell  to  his  agent's  bids.  The  following  letters 
contain  all  that  is  of  general  interest. 

William  Beckford  io  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown^  Saty., 

3d  May,  1 842. 

We  have  paid  quite  dear  enough  for  every  article — 
The  banquet  being  over — now  comes  the  reckoning. 
Have  the  goodness,  therefore,  to  send  the  books  and  the 
account  that  I  may  settle  it  immediately. 

I  [wish  to]  forget  the  egregious  follies  committed  at 
this  high-pufF  sale. 

I  am  ever  yrs,  my  dear  Sir,  most  cordially, 
WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  Friday  J 
5  May,  1842. 

My  dear  Sir, 

The  Strawberry  Hill  cargo  reached  its  destination 
yesterday  eve.  In  Lot  165,  which  ought  to  contain  4 
articles,  I  found  only  3 — so  that  the  scarce  additions  to 
the  postscript  are  wanting — this  is  the  result  of  hurry  and 
inexactitude — some  more  active  person  has  probably  picked 
it  out  of  the  lot  (of  which  it  was  the  gem)  during  or  after 
the  sale. 

I  now  enclose  £150 — which  clears  the  S[trawberry] 
Hill  acc*,  and  as  I  prepaid  the  books  in  separate  parcel,  this 
leaves  a  little  balance  in  your  favour  to  be  pd.  in  our  next 
acc*. 

Puffery  and  blowing  will  proceed  in  the  same  style  all 
the  two  days'  sale.    The  cloud  of  venomous  insects  will 


304  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

pursue  us  with  equal  virulence — Hornet  Thorpe  at  their 
head.  The  Theatre  will  be  changed — not  the  actors ; 
but  I  am  in  hopes  that  yr.  personal  attendance  may  be  of 
some  use.  I  shall  be  cautious,  however,  in  multiplying 
correspondence,  having  smarted  severely. 

In  full  expectation  that  you  will  not  fail  to  despatch 
the  Cat[alogue]  and  your  report  of  Chantrey's  books — 
Saturday  by  post,  or  Sunday  by  special  parcel, 

I  am  ever,  believe  me,  consistently 
and  cordially  yrs., 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 


William  Beckford  toJl.  G.  Bohn 

Lansd^,  Friday y 

20tk  May,  1842, 

Mr.  Beckford  will  be  happy  to  look  at  the  iEsops  the 
moment  it  suits  Mr.  Bohn's  convenience  to  send  them 
off.— 

S[trawberry]  Hill  has  given  Mr.  Beckford  a  confirmed 
"  nausea  "  for  puffed  sales.  .  .  .  Little  impromptus  with 
catalogues  (at  the  11th  hour)  are  far  preferable. 

Mr.  Beckford  is  very  glad  to  learn  that  all  arrived  safe, 
and  is  grateful  for  this  fresh  instance  of  very  agreeable 
punctuality. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

23r</  May,  1842. 

I  wonder  how  long  the  rod  intended  for  our  shoulders 
is  to  remain  in  pickle — when  will  soaking  and  vamping  be 
completed  ? 

Should  the  Dog  star  and  Duke  star  *  continue  to  rage, 
and  the  hornets  follow  us  from  the  S[trawberry]  Hill 
round-house  to  the  metropolitan  scene  of  auction  with 
freshly  pointed  strings  and  renewed  virulence,  inflamma- 
tion must  ensue,  as  it  did  that  miserable  day  when  the 
Callots  I  had  so  right  entirely  set  my  whole  heart  upon, 

*  This  is  an  allusion  to  the  picture  of  the  Duke  of  Suffolk,  and  Mary, 
Queen  of  France,  purchased  at  a  preposterous  price  by  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  at  the  Strawberry  Hill  sale. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  305 


were  ravished  away  from  me,  to  my  utter  surprise  and 
infinite  annoyance. 

Have  you  discovered  yet  into  whose  hands  they  have 
really  fallen  ?  I  shall  never  cease  regretting  them  most 
bitterly, — never! — never  I  50  or  60  guineas  are  more 
easily  found  than  such  genuine,  mellow  impressions  as 
were  contained  in  the  little  greasy  bit  of  a  second  volume, 
or  such  truly  original  sketches  as  rendered  the  first  one  of 
the  daintiest  morsels  that  ever  excited  my  appetite. 

I  hope,  ere  long,  to  receive  the  five  days  Catalogue, 
with  your  observations  upon  it. 

Yours  ever,  &c. 

W.  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn  * 

Lansdown,  Tuesday y  SOth  May,  1842. 

I  can  easily  conceive  the  majesty  displayed  by  my 
glorious  Apollo  upon  this  great  occasion. 

Though  I  regret  the  Callots,  I  have  not  a  word  to  say 
against  your  having  dropped  them  (probably  at  the  nick 
of  time)  upon  another  mirror  of  impudence,  the  eternal 
T[horpe]. 

I  trust  the  Dog  star  may  cease  raging  with  such 
violence  before  the  print  portion  of  the  sale  comes  on. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  31*^  May,  1842. 

I  return  the  portfolio  intact:  the  Hollars  I  particu- 
larly fancy  are  here  already,  and  so  are  most  of  the 
Faithornes. 

I  dread  the  impending  Robins-ism.  God  knows  how 
we  shall  fare,  but  I  keep  up  my  spirits  as  well  as  I  can. 
The  S[trawberry]  H[ill]  treasures  (just  arrived)  are  safe  in 
Lansdown  tower. 

When  you  see  the  Lansdown  Hollars,  (which  I 
sincerely  hope  you  will,  one  day  or  other),  you  will  be 
convinced,  I  think,  my  dear  sir,  that  the  S[trawberry  Hill] 
are  a  little  too  black  and  brilliant. 

*  Cyrus  Redding :  "  Memoirs  of  William  Beckford,"  vol.  ii.  p.  378. 

U 


/ 


306  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

I  grow  more  and  more  nervous  every  hour,  when  I 
reflect  upon  the  ferocious  mad-bull  tossings  we  may  expect 
at  the  next  Strawberry  conflict. 

My  vocation  for  Papes  and  Elstrackes  is  not  suffi- 
ciently fervent  to  conquer  the  disgust,  the  nausea,  the 
abhorrence  with  which  the  last  S[tra wherry]  H[ill]  proceed- 
ings have  inspired  me.  The  fine  portraits  specified  in 
your  choice  little  list  are  absolutely  beyond  my  reach,  nor 
shall  I  stand  on  tiptoe  to  reach  them. 

Girardon  ? — yes — and  now  and  then  a  crumb  or  two  of 
comfort  which  you  may  possibly  pick  up. 

I  must  quiet  myself  with  my  humble  impressions  as 
well  as  I  can.  The  hot  sun  and  the  blighting  east  winds 
are  drying  up  both  myself  and  my  territories  ;  the  change 
upon  Lansdown  in  the  space  of  the  last  four  or  five  days 
is  frightful. 

Measles,  influenza,  &c.,  are  playing  the  devil  in  this 
neighbourhood,  and  every  other.  I  really  think  poor 
Lord  Bungleton,  who  swung  himself  out  of  this  fussy 
world  t'other  day,  has  the  best  of  it.  Keep  yourself  as 
cool  as  you  can  in  every  respect,  my  dear  Sir,  and  don't 
commit  any  feverish  extravagancies. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  Thursday,  June  l6,  1842. 

My  Dear  Sir, 

That  you  have  made  a  good  selection  I  make  no 
doubt ;  that  I  shall  be  much  pleased  to  look  them  over 
whenever  you  please  to  send  a  few  specimens  down,  is 
equally  certain ;  and  that  the  horrible  heat  of  Robins' 
Hell-antechamber  may  not  force  you  to  commit  high 
flown  extravagancies,  equally  to  be  supplicated. 

Sift  and  resift  the  Vertues  ;  he  interests  me  particularly. 
I  glory  in  his  pen  drawing  of  Phihp  and  Mary.  Curious 
proofs,  curious  views,  curious  scraps  of  antiquities,  are  well 
suited  to  this  very  original-looking  abode,  which  reminds 
one  of  some  of  his  favourite  old  palatial  mansions. 
Remember  Perino  del  Vaga,  &c.,  when  the  drawings  come 
on.  I  shall  be  curious  to  learn  what  you  discover  in  that 
department. 

Although  I  am  not  mad  after  Papes  and  Elstrackes,  I 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  307 


am  not  dead  to  print  feeling,  and  should  be  thankful  for  a 
few  grains  of  information  how  you  are  getting  on. 

I  see  by  the  Morning  Posfs  unceasing  Strawberriana, 
that  a  well-known  "  true  collector  "  has  been  laying  about 
him  with  all  the  vigour  of  youth. 

Do  not  forget  that  I  am  extremely  partial  to  Vertue, 
and  should  anything  very  interesting  by  him  present  itself, 
I  should  like  to  see  it  very  much. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  Saturday, 
30  July,  1842. 

Not  a  spark  of  S[trawberry]  Hill  mania  remains  in  my 
bosom — nor  are  my  expectations  from  the  [illegible]  sale 
sufficiently  lively  to  encourage  any  bursts  of  extravagance 
— I  have  looked  on  the  Cat[alogue],  just  arrived,  but  find 
nothing  to  tempt  me — -not  a  single  miscellaneous  article. — 
Believe  me,  my  dear  Sir, 

with  sincere  thanks  for  yr.  attentions, 
very  cordially  yours, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

Beckford's  great  success  as  a'coUector,  which  made  him 
intolerant  towards  his  rivals,  led  him  occasionally  to  a 
display  of  arrogance,  as  the  following  extracts  from  some 
letters  show. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  21  April,  1842. 

As  you  have  not  yet  found  a  stray  moment  to  vouch- 
safe me  an  atom  of  information  concerning  the  Missal  sale 
at  Fletcher's,  I  conclude  it  contains  nothing  sufficently  rare 
to  enter  my  Tabernacle. 

William  Beckford  to  Mr.  Edmonds,  at  Mr. 
H.  G.  Bohn's 

25  April,  1842. 

Between  colds  from  the  atmosphere  and  Heats  from 
the  turmoil  of  too  much  occupation  I  cannot  obtain  the 


308  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

information  required.  I  wish  Mr.  Edmonds  would  let  me 
know  what  sort  of  a  sale  took  place  at  Fletcher's — if  the 
MSS,  were  really  so  fine.  I  have  been  strangely  neglected. 
— I  desired  Mr.  Bohn  to  send  me  Chantrey's  Cat[alogue,] 
which  it  is  still  to  be  hoped  he  will  take  care  to  do. 

Lansdown,  2  May,  1842. 

The  7iot  sending  Fletcher's  cat[alogue]  occasioned  me  the 
loss  of  the  fine  Missal.  Had  the  proprietors  sent  it  for  my 
inspection,  it  wd.  have  been  returned  with  a  thumping 
commission.  The  volume  would  have  been  mine — or 
the  thrifty  good  bargain-maker  you  permitted  to  carry  it 
off  wd.  have  had  the  misery  of  paying  300  guineas  more 
for  it.  Such  is  the  result  of  neglect !  Alas  I  alas  I  it 
grieves  me  to  say  so,  but  in  the  long  run  of  my  collection 
I  never  experienced  so  glaring  an  instance  ! 

Lansdown,,  Zd.  May,  1842. 

The  Fletcher  people  were  ignorant  fools  indeed  for  not 
submitting  their  grand  missal  to  my  inspection. — Did  they 
never  hear  of  such  a  place  as  Lansdown  Tower  ? 

Beckford's  custom  was  well  worth  having  by  any 
dealer,  but  the  man  who  was  fortunate  enough  to  secure 
it  had  to  work  hard  to  keep  it.  He  was  most  exact- 
ing in  his  demands,  and  expected  constant  attention. 
"  Cargoes,"  as  he  called  them,  of  books  must  constantly 
be  sent  to  him  with  full  particulars  of  the  items  included 
in  it. 

H.  G.  Bohn  to  William  Beckford 

4  York  St.,  Covent  Garden. 
July  13,  1839. 

Sir, 

I  have  this  day  sent  for  your  inspection  a  smaU 
box  of  books  of  an  interesting  and  very  uncommon  kind. 
Unfortunately  they  nearly  all  want  binding,  having  no 
covers  whatever.  If  you  select  any,  it  would  be  better  to 
send  them  to  town  for  binding,  and  endeavour  to  forget 
them  till  they  are  returned  to  you,  which  may  be  one 
month  or  three,  according  to  the  caprice  of  the  binder. 
The  books  are  in  so  much  the  finer  state,  for  the  want  of 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  309 

binding,  on  account  of  their  having  been  cut  out  of  volumes, 
by  the  former  proprietor, — -the  same  person  who  collected 
the  last  lot  sent  for  your  inspection.  He  has  one  of  the 
best  bibliographical  noses  in  Europe,  and  the  present  is, 
I  believe,  his  last  gleanings.  The  Pilgrims  is  a  singularly 
rare  and  interesting  article,  and  the  only  copy  I  ever  saw : 
it  cost  me  nearly  the  £10  10s.  Od.  at  Sotheby's,  where  all 
the  books  were  distributed.  At  the  same  sale  I  bought 
the  Wendelin  Bible,  in  fair  state,  for  £10  10s.  Od.,  which 
once  used  to  sell  for  100  gs. — so  that  it  is  evident  tastes 
are  changing. 

The  MS.  Journey  to  Bath,  unpublished,  was  bought 
at  the  sale  of  Dr.  Conybeare  s  books,  and  I  should  have 
given  £5  5s.  Od.  for  it  (altho'  charged  only  £3  3s.  Od.)  rather 
than  disappoint  myself  of  the  pleasure  of  securing  it  for 
your  inspection. 

The  books  are  all  so  rare  and  curious,  and  withal  so 
interesting,  that  I  think  you  will  find  it  more  difficult  to 
reject  than  accept. 

An  invoice  is  enclosed  in  the  box. 

I  remain, 

Your  most  oblig** 

Humble  Serv*, 
HENRY  G.  BOHN. 

Beckford  at  Bath,  to  judge  from  his  correspondence, 
seems  unceasingly  to  have  studied  catalogues,  and,  himself 
never  overlooking  anything  great  or  small,  when  anything 
escaped  his  agent's  notice,  letters  of  remonstrance  were 
sure  to  follow. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown  [1832.^*]. 

Have  you  seen  "  Illustrations  of  the  Bible,"  by  Martin, 
No.  1  ?  Send  me  "  Tales  from  the  German  of  Tieck  " — 
Moxon — and  another  sort  of  tale,  "  The  Cat's  Tail,"  with 
etchings  by  G.  Cruikshank.  These  would  have  been 
better  worth  pointing  out  for  light  summer  reading  than 
Murray's  volumes.  I  wonder  they  did  not  occur  to  you. 
How  lucky  that  I  have  a  quick  eye, and  can  read  vfhole  Atlas 
columns  of  newspaper  advertisements,  etc.,  at  one  glance  ! 


310 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


WiLLiA]\r  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown  [1832  ?]. 

You  have  been  making,  no  doubt,  a  pretty  mess,  an 
excellent  hash,  a  capital  stew  ;  that  I  can  easily  imagine. 
Indeed  I  was  partly  led  to  expect  it.  But  that  in  the 
intervals  of  cookery  you  should  not  have  found  a  few 
stray  moments  to  send  me,  if  not  books,  at  least  excuses, 
is  more  than  puzzling — it  is  confusion  ten  times  worse 
confounded !  It  is  deplorable,  shameful,  half-witted, 
stupid,  and  owlish,  to  an  excess  I  never  conceived  possible. 
Not  being  myself,  I  hope,  "  The  howling  tenant  of  the 
sapless  tree,"  I  shall  neither  mope  nor  screech.  I  am 
perfectly  well  disposed  to  treat  with  the  most  serene  com- 
posure every  degree  of  stupid  inattention  you  can  be 
guilty  of,  except  in  one  instance — that  which  regards  Mr. 
Scholl.  Send  him  his  copy.  Do  not  push  your  miserable, 
impolitic,  and  disgustingly  ungrateful  conduct  beyond  all 
comprehension  and  beyond  all  endurance.  If  you  have 
any  explanation,  any  excuses  to  offer,  come  to  Bath.  I 
will  allow  you  to  do  so.  I  should  be  loth  even  now,  even 
after  your  ridiculous,  wrongheaded  (to  use  no  harsher 
term)  behaviour,  to  see  your  connection  not  only  with  me, 
but  with  Bentley,  incurably  blighted. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  Thursday f  1th  July,  1842. 

I  am  surprised,  my  dear  Sir,  that  you  have  not  written 
to  me,  upon  the  subject  of  the  Kingsboro'  sale.  From 
the  enclosed  scrap  it  appears  to  merit  g[rea]t  attention — 
procure  and  send  me  the  Catalogue  immediately.  I  fear 
we  are  too  late — there  is  certainly  no  time  to  lose. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown,  Monday,  28th  Nov.,  1842. 

Mr.  Beckford  proposes  coming  to  town  the  5th  or  6th 
of  December,  when  he  hopes  to  find  his  books,  so  long  in 
the  hands  of  incorrigible  binders,  completely  finished. 

He  flatters  himself  also  that  Mr.  H.  G.  Bohn  will  make 
up  for  his  unaccountably  protracted  silence  by  a  display  of 
something  worth  looking  at. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  311 


William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown, 
14  March,  1843. 

Mr.  Beckford  proposes  coming  to  town  next  Mon- 
day the  20th ;  and  in  the  meantime  particularly  desires 
Mr.  Bohn  will  take  the  trouble  of  looking  over  a  Rev. 
Mr.  Daniel's  books — on  sale  at  Christie's,  Friday  the  17th. 
They  are  said  to  be  in  beautiful  condition :  some  reports 
of  them  w[oul]d  be  therefore  desirable.  Catalogue,  and 
answer  if  the  books  pleasing — no  time  to  lose. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

IStk  April,  1843. 

What !  not  a  line !  not  a  word  about  the  Edinburgh 
sale  ?  Where  are  the  Flamens  ?  the  Grimaldis,  the  etc., 
etc.,  etceteras  ?  All  the  echoes  of  Lansdown  are  repeating, 
"  Where  ?  where  ? " 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown, 
13  ApL,  1843. 

Southey's  Library,  replete  with  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
literature,  is  to  be  sold  shortly  at  Leigh  Sotheby's.  Let 
me  conjure  you,  my  dear  Sir,  to  be  upon  the  watch  and 
send  me  an  early  catalogue — My  commissions  are  likely  to 
be  numerous  as  this  collection  interests  me  very  much. 
Ever  Yrs.  most  cordially, 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 

William  Beckford  to  Mr.  Smith,  Lisle  Street,  London 

LansdowNj  8tk  April,  1844 

What !  30  and  40,  and  perhaps  50,  for  the  set  of 
Naiwincx  I  I  am  not  disposed  to  pay  so  absurd  a  price  for 
them,  nor  for  the  Mill,  or  A.  Durer,  kc,  kc.  I  shall  not 
meddle  with  the  fine  Ruysdael,  but  if  the  nicely-toned 
Teniers  turns  out  of  a  size  to  suit  a  place  here,  which  I 
have  in  my  eye,  we  must  stretch  a  point  to  secure  it.  Be 
so  kind  as  to  send  me  the  exact  dimensions. 


312  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

The  French  collection  sounds  stupendous.  I  am  not 
partial  to  Desnoyer,  but  very  much  so  to  EdeHnck,Bolswert, 
Andray,  &c.    Of  Vandyke  I  have  great  plenty  and  good. 

In  the  stubble  field  of  the  "  refined  Collector,"  some- 
thing, and  at  no  very  extravagant  cost,  may  probably  be 
gleaned  for  me.  What  are  the  Elsheimers,  12  and  13,  1st 
day?  170,  366,  438  and  9,  447,  509,  511,  529,  ornaments; 
573  architectural.  I  have  several  compositions  from  the 
pen  of  the  master  of  the  household,  but  none,  as  yet,  from 
the  graver  of  the  master  of  the  mouse  trap.  .  .  .  You 
have  not  yet  reported  the  Breembergs  at  the  great 
conservator's ;  pray  do,  and  believe  me,  my  dear  sir. 
Most  constantly  yours, 

w.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  Mr.  Smith 

Lansdown,  April  15,  1844. 

There  are  several  articles  in  the  Dubois  sale  well  worthy 
of  being  fastened  upon,  not  mediocre  uniques,  but  the  pro- 
ductions of  lofty  minds ;  for  example,  59,  Bandit,  after 
Poussin ;  60,  after  Seb.  Bourdon ;  300,  G.  Edelinck,  after 
P.  de  Champagne,  sublime  most  probably ;  212,  Le  Cavalier 
de  la  mort. 

My  St.  Hubert  is  wretched;  the  first  fine  one  should 
be  secured  whenever  it  turns  up.  219,  La  Nativity,  tres 
rare,    Q.    Whether  t?'es  belle  ? 

It  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  think  of  coming  to 
town,  therefore  must  depend  upon  your  reports  entirely. 

Waiting  the  measurement  of  the  Teniers,  and  observa- 
tions upon  the  Breembergs,  I  am,  my  dear  sir. 

Most  cordially, 
W.  B. 

William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Lansdown 

{^2Apnl  1844). 

Monday,  4  o'clock. 

The  ISTodier ;  the  Nodier  I — I  must  have  that  Cat.  by 
any  means — and  at  any  cost. — You  have  carte  blanche 
to  procure  it.  There  appears  nothing  for  me  at  Southey's 
— it  is  as  dull  as  the  luggage  train — we  are  quit  of  our 
trouble  there. 


BECKFORD  THE  COLLECTOR  313 


William  Beckford  to  H.  G.  Bohn 

Tuesday,  23  April  1844, 

Our  troubles  are  not  at  an  end.  This  is  not  the  sale 
catalogue — how  yr.  corresp*  is  to  make  out  my  commissions 
at  hap-hazard  with  the  assistance  of  days,  vacations,  &c. 
I  cannot  conceive  !  Here  they  are — and  you  must  enforce 
the  attention  of  this  cousin  of  yours  in  the  most  peremptory 
manner. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


"THE  SULTAN  OF  LANSDOWN  TOWER"  (1822-1837) 

The  sale  of  Fonthill  Abbey  :  Bought  by  John  Farquhar  in  1822  : 
The  contents  sold  by  Farquhar  in  1823  :  The  interest  displayed 
by  collectors  :  A  skit  on  the  sale  :  Hazlitt's  attack  on  Beckford's 
taste  :  A  defence  of  Beckford  :  The  cost  of  building  the  Abbey  : 
A  disastrous  lawsuit  :  Depreciation  of  property  in  Jamaica  : 
Beckford's  diminishing  income  :  Bears  the  loss  of  the  Abbey 
philosophically  :  Makes  an  offer  for  Prior  Park,  Bath  :  Buys 
houses  in  Lansdown  Crescent  :  And  land  on  Lansdown  Hill  : 
Erects  another  Tower  :  Beckford  and  rights  of  way  :  Descrip- 
tion of  his  Bath  residence  and  the  Tower  :  His  mode  of  life  at 
Bath  :  A  man  of  mystery  :  Absurd  rumours  concerning  him  : 
The  dwarf  Piero  :  His  published  books  :  His  anonymous  works : 
His  unpublished  manuscripts  :  Various  editions  of  Vathek  "  : 
The  publication  of  "  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal,"  &c.,  and 

Alcobaga  and  Batalha  "  :  And  correspondence  concerning  it  : 
His  annoyance  at  adverse  criticisms  :  Lockhart's  eulogistic 

review  of  the  "  Travels  "  :  Beckford  and  Benjamin  Disraeli 

Great  interest  was  aroused  by  the  announcement  made 
in  1822  by  Christie,  the  auctioneer,  that  Fonthill  was  to 
be  thrown  open  as  a  preliminary  of  a  sale  by  auction,  not 
only  of  the  Abbey,  but  also  of  its  contents.  In  July 
catalogues  were  issued,  and  within  a  few  weeks  no  less 
than  seventy-two  thousand  copies  were  disposed  of  at  the 
price  of  a  guinea  each ;  while  to  Fonthill  flocked  crowds 
of  visitors  eager  to  seize  the  opportunity  to  inspect  the 
famous  structure.  The  sale  as  advertised  did  not,  how- 
ever, take  place,  for  Fonthill  was  purchased  by  private 
contract  for  £330,000  by  John  Farquhar.*  Farquhar, 

*  John  Farquhar  (1751-1826)  very  properly  has  a  niche  in  Timb's 
"English  Eccentrics"  as  well  as  in  the  "Dictionary  of  National  Bio- 
graphy." He  went  out  to  India  as  a  cadet  in  the  Bombay  establishment, 
but,  a  wound  incapacitating  him  for  military  service,  he  became  a 

314 


-FONTHILL  SALE" 


315 


though,  bought  it  merely  as  a  speculation,  and  in  the 
following  year  the  collections  were  sold  by  auction  by 
Phillips  between  September  9  and  October  29.  Again 
there  was  much  excitement,  and  again  crowds  travelled 
to  Wiltshire.  "  He  is  fortunate  who  finds  a  vacant  chair 
within  twenty  miles  of  Fonthill ;  the  solitude  of  a  private 
apartment  is  a  luxury  which  few  can  hope  for,"  so  runs  an 
amusing  article  in  the  Times,  "  FalstafF  himself  could 
not  take  his  ease  at  this  moment  within  a  dozen  leagues 
of  Fonthill.  .  .  .  The  beds  through  the  county  are 
(literally)  doing  double  duty — people  who  come  in  from 
a  distance  during  the  night  must  wait  to  go  to  bed  until 
others  get  up  in  the  morning.  .  .  .  Not  a  farmhouse — 
however  humble — not  a  cottage  near  Fonthill,  but  gives 
shelter  to  fashion,  to  beauty,  and  rank ;  ostrich  feathers, 
which,  by  their  very  waving,  we  can  trace  back  to  Picca- 
dilly, are  seen  nodding  at  a  casement  window  over  a 
dispopulated  poultry-yard."  The  sale  gave  rise  to 
numerous  d' esprit,  and  also  to  the  following  amusing 
skit,  issued  as  a  broadside  and  now  extremely  rare.* 

FONTHILL  SALE  f 
A  Parody 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Sale  at  Fonthill, 

With  its  bijou  the  brightest  that  earth  ever  gave ; 


merchant  at  Bengal,  and  eventually  secured  the  contract  to  supply 
gunpowder  to  the  Government.  In  middle  age  he  returned  to  England 
with  about  half  a  million,  and  this  fortune  he  vastly  increased  by  judicious 
investments.  Though  princely  in  his  charities  he  lived  and  dressed  as  a 
poor  man,  and  it  is  said  that  his  household  expenses  only  amounted  to 
£^200  out  of  his  £30,000  or  £40^000  a  year.  One  of  Farquhar's  executors 
said  that  on  the  second  sale  Fonthill  did  not  realise  more  than  £150,000, 
but  this  sum  probably  referred  only  to  the  contents  of  the  estate,  not  to 
both. 

*  From  the  original  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Alfred  Morrison. 

f  The  chief  part  of  this  Fragment  is  in  imitation,  or  rather  parody,  of 
the  celebrated  description  of  the  Vale  of  Cashmere,  in  Moore's  Light  of 
the  Harem,"  beginning : 

Who  has  not  heard  of  the  Vale  of  Cashmere 


/ 


316  WILLIAM  13ECKFORD 

Its  pictures  and  books — and  its  knights  of  the  quill 
Who  of  all  its  attractions  so  ceaselessly  rave  ? 
Oh,  to  see  it  at  midday,  when  warm  o'er  the  HALL 
Its  full  gathered  splendour  an  autumn  sun  throws  ; 
Ere  the  smug  auctioneer  to  his  seat  in  his  stall 
*'  Like  a  bride  full  of  blushes  "  so  smilingly  goes : 
And  punctual  to  time  without  stoppage  or  stammer, 
Reads  his  list  of  "  Conditions  "  and  raises  his  hammer. 


"When  gems,  bronzes  and  paintings  are  gleaming  half  shewn 

(Mr.  Beckford's  we  mean — t'other  half  would  not  please.  Sir) 

From  tables  of  ebony — rosewood — and  one 

Which  they  tell  us  belonged  to  the  Prince  of  Borghese,  Sir, 

But  geese  we  should  be  all  we  hear  thus  to  hug 

Since  we  know  many  come  from  the  Prince  of  Humbug. 

Then  to  see  all  the  China  from  Nankin  and  Dresden, 

The  ^^rare  Oriental  "  and    famed  Japanese," 

Mixed  with  all  kinds  of  trumpery,  but  recently  pressed  in. 

Our  judgements  to  dupe  and  our  pockets  to  ease. 

With  bronzes  and  boxes — ckefo-d'ceuvre  of  skill, — 

Made  "  to  order  "  they  say  for  the  sale  at  Fonthill. 

Here  the  music  of  bidding  grows  loud  and  more  loud ; 

Here  the  iweetener  is  conning  his  hints  for  the  day ; 

And  here  by  the  rostrum,  apart  from  the  crowd, 

Billy  Tims  and  his  brethren  are  scribbling  away 

(Striving  who  shall  bedaub  Mr.  Phillips  the  most) 

Their  puffs  for  the  Chronicle,  Herald  and  Post 

Let  us  pause  ere  we  blame,  for  'tis  well  understood. 

Though  some  things  are  so-so,  Harry's  dinners  are  good. 

And  since  paying  and  feeding  the  piper's  no  jest. 

Sure  they  ought  to  play  for  him  the  tune  he  likes  best. 

Here  a  black-letter  hero  with  rat-smelling  air 

Tipping  winks  full  of  meaning,  squats  down  in  his  chair. 

The  veteran  of  many  a  Book-auction  is  he, 

And  he'll  not  be  bamboozled  we  think,  Mr.  P. 

If  the  item  is  genuine  away  goes  his  nod. 

And  if  cheap  is  knocked  down  with  "  'Tis  yours,  Mr.  Rodd," 

If  a  "  foist  "  and  his  glance  of  contempt  is  enough 

Why  he  dives  for  his  snuff-box  and  takes  only  snuff. 

Here  the  man  who  is  neighbour  to  famed  Mr.  Squib, 


With  its  roses  the  brightest  the  earth  ever  gave ; 

Its  temples  and  grottoes  and  fountains  as  clear 

As  the  love-lighted  eyes  that  look  over  its  wave  ? 

Oh,  to  see  it  at  sunset,  when  warm  o'er  the  lake 

Its  splendour  at  parting  a  summer  eve  throws 

Like  a  bride  full  of  blushes,  who  lingering  takes 

A  last  look  at  the  mirror  to  bed  ere  she  goes. 

Here  the  music  of  prayer  from  a  minaret  swells, 

Here  the  Magian  his  urn  full  of  perfume  is  swinging. 

And  here  at  the  altar  a  zone  of  sweet  bells 

Round  the  waist  of  some  fair  Indian  dancer  is  ringing,  &c.  &c. 


"FONTHILL  SALE" 


317 


(He  may  call  us  obscure,  and  perhaps  tell  us  we  fib) 

The  "  spirited  bidder  "  (for  whom  we  sha'n't  say) 

Is  beginning  as  usual  his  work  of  the  day. 

And  before  the  great  clock  of  the  Abbey  strikes  four 

Will  have  made  some  two  hundred  bold  biddings  or  more, 

Till  Clarke,  justly  incensed  with  the  fellow's  assurance, 

Lets  him  in  with  a  look  of  affected  endurance. 

Saying,    Sir,  'tis  your  own — give  you  joy  of  the  lot,  it 

Has  long  been  contested  and  now  you  have  got  it." 

Oh  to  see  how  he  changes  from  yellow  to  blue. 

As  he  answers,  "  I'm  ready  to  yield  it  to  you ; 

I  have  run  up  the  thing,  but  if  called  on  to  pai/ 

Why  I  think  I  must  finish  by  running  away." 

But  a  smile  from  his  Patron  sets  all  matters  right,  ] 

And  he  boldly  bids  on  in  his  pocket's  despite. 

Here  the  famous  Count  Buff"- — with  his  eyeglass  and  seals. 

His  rings  on  his  fingers  and  spurs  on  his  heels. 

His  straw-coloured  wig  and  magniloquent  air. 

And  his  hat  cocked  aside  like  a  clown  at  a  fair. 

Strutting  up  to  some  daub,  with  his  hand  o'er  his  brow. 

And  wiping  the  canvas,  cries  "  RUBENS  I  vow, 

His  colouring — relief — light  and  shadow  are  there — 

His  expression — his  grouping — his  breadth  to  a  hair. 

Then  that  CUYP  there  beside  it's  as  pearly  and  clear, 

As  the  first  break  of  day  at  the  spring  of  the  year ; 

Though  it  can't  be  compared  with  that  dewy  METZU 

So  melting  and  mellow,  so  tasteful  and  true  : 

They've  a  charm  above  all  that  must  make  them  divine ;  " 

(Speaking  under  his  breath)  "  entre  nous.  Sir,  they're  mine. 

Yes,  you're  doubtless  surprised  that  a  man  of  my  air. 

Should  thus  chaffer  in  pictures,  but  list  while  I  swear, 

'Twas  my  love  for  the  Arts,  and  I'm  master  of  some. 

That  first  made  me  DEALER,  and  led  me  to  roam. 

As  for  money,  my  friend,  I  would  have  you  to  know, 

I  care  nothing  about  a  few  thousands  or  so ; 

There's  my  own  private  income,  a  mere  bagatelle — 

Just  five  thousand  a  year,  which  you  know's  pretty  well, — 

A  trifle  admitted,  but  surely  enough 

To  buy  a  few  baubles,  and  pay  for  one's  snuff ; 

Then  my  wife,  besides  beauty,  of  which  we'll  be  mum. 

Has,  fore  God  I  declare  it,  two-thirds  of  a  PLUM  ; 

To  say  naught  of  an  Uncle  who  lives  in  the  Indies, 

(By  the  way,  can  you  tell  me,  my  friend,  how  the  wind  is  ?) 

Who  has  promised,  and  sure  he  can  do  it  with  ease. 

To  send  us  ere  long  a  few  lachs  of  rupees. 

Then  my  private  collection  is  worth — so  they  say — 

Just  a  cool  hundred  thousand  (not  much  by  the  way). 

And  my  house  and  its  trappings  (pray  speak  if  I  bore) 

Has  been  valued  by  some  at  a  good  hundred  more. 

As  you  guess,  in  my  own  hackney  coach  I  came  down, 

To  see  how  matters  go, — and  look  after  my  own ; 

And  thanks  to  yon  pliable  knights  of  the  quill 

I  shall  do  pretty  well  by  the  sale  at  Fonthill." 


818  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Here  the  white-trousered  Dandy  and  black-whiskered  Swell, 

The  lean  sprig  of  fashion,  the  beau  and  the  belle — 

The  Lord  and  the  Lady — but  few  of  the  latter, — 

Have  all  journeyed  post-haste,  not  to  buy  but  to  chatter, — 

To  lounge,  look  about  them,  and  prate  at  their  ease. 

Of  Mieris,  Correggio,  and  Paul  Veronese. 

But  vainly  the  vender  directs  his  keen  glance 

To  many  a  gay  group  as  the  biddings  advance. 

Inattentive  are  they  to  the  beam  of  his  eye, 

And  he  turns  to  Clarke,  Lawford,  and  Rodd  with  a  sigh, — 

Mid  sunshine  and  storm,  mid  report  good  and  ill. 

The  heroes  and  props  of  the  sale  at  Fonthill. 

Here  Colnaghi,  Thorpe,  Phillips  and  Farquhar,  good  men. 
We  could  sketch  to  the  life  with  four  strokes  of  our  pen  ; 
But  we  think  we  had  better  not  touch  off  a  verse  on  all 
Lest  some  ill-natured  booby  should  say  we've  grown  personal. 
However  to  prove  that  no  evil  we  mean  them, 
We'll  give  them  a  sweet-tempered  couplet  between  them, 
The  two  first  are  good  fellows  we  own  with  good  will, 
The  two  last  are  as  good — at  the  sale  at  Fonthill. 

*There  are  auctions  for  ever  unchangingly  dull, 
Like  a  long  winter  night  ere  the  moon's  at  its  full, 
Selling  on— selling  on,  but  in  bidders  so  slender. 
That  ere  buyers  are  caught,  half  asleep  is  the  vender ; 
Where  excepting  for  brokers,  booksellers,  and  one 
Like  the  spirited  Lawford,  no  sale  could  go  on. 
Where  Report,  like  a  spectre  called  up  from  the  tomb, 
Whispers    Humbug  "  and  "  Trick  "  and  bids  buyers  be  dumb. 
These  are  not  the  auctions,  'tis  nothing  like  these 
That  has  taught  Jemmy  Christie  all  parties  to  please, 
That  has  given  him  a  power  he  can  wield  at  his  will. 
With  the  flower  of  West-enders  his  saleroom  to  fill. 
And  sans  sweeteners  or  spoonies,  to  kick  up  a  pother 
To  get  biddings  in  plenty  of  one  sort  or  other. 
'Tis  plain  honesty  lifts  him  so  far  o'er  his  peers 
And  has  crowned  him  the  Emperor  of  Town  Auctioneers ; — 
With  that  sprightliness  ever  in  motion,  which  plays 
On  the  eye  and  the  pocket,  and  charms  us  both  ways  : 
Now  here  and  now  there,  wiling  cash  as  it  flies 
From  the  eyes  to  the  purse,  from  the  purse  to  the  eyes. 
If  in  pictures  he  deals,  such  his  elegant  ease. 
You  would  swear  he  was  born  to  sell  nothing  but  these  ; 
And  his  passing  mistakes  do  but  serve  to  awaken 
New  mirth,  while  his  credit  stands  firm  and  unshaken. 

*There  are  beauties  for  ever  unchangingly  bright 
Like  the  long  sunny  lapse  of  a  summer's  day's  light 
Shining  on — shining  on,  by  no  shadow  made  tender, 
Till  Love  falls  asleep  on  its  sameness  of  splendour. 
This  was  not  the  beauty,  'twas  nothing  like  this 
That  to  young  Nourmahal  gave  such  magic  of  bliss. 

Fide  "  Lalla  Rookh." 


HAZLITT  ON  FONTHILL  319 


If  in  Books  he  dilates — he's  as  deftly  at  home, 
Be  they  Novels  from  Paris  or  Classics  from  Rome  ; 
If  on  Music — he  knows  the  deep  art  to  unriddle, 
When  from  far-famed  Cremona  he  sells  you  a  fiddle ; 
In  short  such  the  power  of  his  spells,  I've  been  told. 
He  can  turn  what  he  touches,  like  Croesus,  to  gold ; 
And  dull  before  him,  you  may  say  what  you  will. 
Is  the  keen  Auctioneer  of  the  Sale  at  Fonthill. 

A.  A.  W. 

Innumerable  articles  were  written  about  the  contents 
of  the  Abbey,  many  praising,  others  disparaging :  almost 
alone,  however,  Hazlitt  made  a  tremendous  onslaught 
upon  the  taste  that  had  brought  together  the  vaunted 
treasures.  "  What  shall  we  say,"  he  asked,  "  to  a  Collec- 
tion, which  uniformly  and  deliberately  neglects  every 
great  work,  and  every  great  name  in  art,  to  make  room 
for  idle  rarities  and  curiosities  or  mechanical  skill  ?  It  is 
hardly  necessary  to  build  a  Cathedral  to  set  up  a  toy- 
shop I  Who  would  paint  a  miniature  cathedral  to  hang 
it  at  the  top  of  the  Monument  ?  This  huge  pile  (capable 
of  better  things)  is  cut  up  into  a  parcel  of  little  rooms, 
and  those  little  rooms  are  stuck  full  of  little  pictures,  and 
bijouterie.  Mr.  Beckford  may  talk  of  his  Diamond  Berchem, 
and  so  on  :  this  is  but  the  language  of  apetit-maitre  in  art ; 
but  the  author  of  *  Vathek  '(with  his  leave)  is  not  a  petit- 
maitre.  His  genius,  as  a  writer,  '  hath  a  devil ' :  his  taste 
in  pictures  is  the  quintessence  and  rectified  spirit  of  still- 
life.  He  seems  not  to  be  susceptible  of  the  poetry  of 
painting,  or  else  to  set  his  face  against  it.  It  is  obviously 
a  first  principle  with  him  to  exclude  whatever  has  feeling 
or  imagination — to  polish  the  surface,  and  suppress  the 
soul  of  art — to  proscribe,  by  a  sweeping  clause  or  at  one 
fell  swoop,  everything  approaching  to  grace,  or  beauty, 
or  grandeur — to  crush  the  sense  of  pleasure  or  of  power 
in  embryo — and  to  reduce  all  nature  and  art,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  the  texture  and  level  of  a  china  dish — smooth, 
glittering,  cold,  and  unfeeling.  We  do  not  object  so 
much  to  the  predilection  for  Teniers,  Wouvermann,  or 
Ostade — we  like  to  see  natural  objects  naturally  painted 


320  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

— but  we  unequivocally  hate  the  affectedly  mean,  the 
elaborately  little,  the  ostentatiously  perverse  and  dis- 
torted, Poelenburg  s  walls  of  amber,  Mieris's  groups  of 
steel,  Vanderwerf  s  ivory  flesh ;  yet  these  are  the  chief 
delights  of  the  late  proprietor  of  Fonthill  Abbey  !  Is  it 
that  his  mind  is  '  a  volcano  burnt  out,'  and  that  he  likes 
his  senses  to  repose  and  be  gratified  with  Persian  carpets 
and  enamelled  pictures  ?  Or  are  there  not  traces  of  the 
same  infirmity  of  feeling  even  in  the  high-souled  Vathek, 
who  compliments  the  complexion  of  the  two  pages  of 
Fakreddin  as  being  equal  to  *  the  porcelain  of  Fran- 
guestan '  ?  Alas !  Who  would  have  thought  that  the 
Caliph  Vathek  would  have  dwindled  down  into  an 
Emperor  of  China  and  King  of  Japan  ?    But  so  it  is."  * 

Beckford  was  undismayed  by  the  thunderbolts  launched 
by  Hazlitt,  for,  indeed,  they  were  written  under  a  mis- 
apprehension. "  You  pay  a  very  ill  compliment  to  my 
taste  to  suppose  1  would  furnish  my  house  with  such 
trash — it  came  from  the  Phillippine  islands,"  he  said, 
making  allusion  to  "  Gil  Bias  "  and  Phillips,  the  auctioneer 
of  the  sale  of  1823;  while  to  Cyrus  Redding  he  stated: 
I  sold  but  little  of  what  I  valued.  I  had  not  room 
enough  for  all  the  books  I  possessed  in  any  other  place. 
Do  not  suppose  that  more  than  half  of  what  was  sold  at 
Fonthill  was  mine.  I  disposed  of  my  superfluous  furni- 
ture, for  which  I  had  no  use,  and  also  of  some  costly 
things,  not  of  much  utility — suitable  there  only.  I  would 
not  disgrace  my  house  by  Chinese  furniture — that  was 
not  mine — it  was  put  in  by  the  auctioneer.  Horace 
Walpole  would  not  have  suffered  it  in  his  toyshop  at 
Strawberry  Hill."  Hazlitt  was,  of  course,  unaware,  not 
only  that  Phillips,  following  a  practice  not  even  now  un- 
known to  auctioneers,  had  sent  goods  to  Fonthill  there  to 
be  sold  among  the  rest  with  the  cachet  of  Beckford's  name, 

*  "  The  Principal  Picture  Galleries  of  England  "  (1824).  Hazlitt  had 
made  an  earlier  attack  on  the  contents  of  Fonthill  in  the  London 
Magazine,  November  1822. 


BECKFORD'S  LOSSES  321 

but  that  Beckford  had  removed  from  the  Abbey  his  best 
pictures  and  books  and  the  really  choice  articles  of  vertu. 

The  most  absurd  rumours  were  current  as  to  the  cost 
of  building  Fonthill  Abbey  and  the  cost  of  Beckford 's 
establishment.  Hazlitt  said  it  took  £20,000  a  year  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  Beckford's  table  and  of  his  house- 
hold ;  but  this  statement  must  be  accepted  with  caution, 
for  the  same  writer  declared  that  the  Abbey  cost  nearly  a 
million,  whereas  we  have  it  on  the  authority  of  the  owner 
that  the  entire  outlay  was  £273,000,  "some  hundreds 
over  that  sum  it  may  be,  no  more,"  and  that  this  expendi- 
ture was  scattered  over  sixteen  to  eighteen  years.  It  was 
not,  however,  because  of  the  vast  sums  expended  that 
Beckford  gave  up  Fonthill,  for  his  income  of  £110,000 — 
Britton  says  that  Beckford  told  him  it  was  £120,000  * — 
and  the  accumulations  of  his  minority  were  more  than 
equal  to  the  outlay :  the  reason  was  that  his  income  was 
steadily  diminishing.  So  early  as  December  1811  he  had 
written  to  James  Wyatt  that  he  was  "  induced  from  many 
considerations  to  postpone  all  extensive  plans  of  improve- 
ment," and  it  is  fair  to  assume  that  one  of  these  considera- 
tions was  the  depreciation  of  his  property  in  the  West 
Indies,  from  which  he  derived  the  greater  part  of  his 
revenue.  Then  came  a  disastrous  lawsuit.  The  Chan- 
cellor took  away  from  me  by  a  decree,  in  the  course  of 
what  lawyers  call  justice,  two  large  estates  that  had  been 
sixty  or  more  years  in  my  family,"  he  told  Cyrus  Redding. 
**  You  may  imagine  their  importance  when  I  tell  you 
there  were  1500  slaves  upon  them.  This  decree,  too,  the 
Chancellor  accompanied  with  the  reflection  that  *  Mr. 
Beckford  had  plenty  of  property  left.'  That  was  my 
reason  for  quitting  Fonthill.  I  was  sorry  to  throw  so 
many  poor  people  out  of  employ,  and  to  stay  further 
improvements,  but  I  had  no  choice — living  there  would 
have  been  too  expensive." 

*  J.  Mitford :  "  Unpublished  Note-books  "  (British  Museum,  Add. 
MSS.  S25-m  f.  38. 

X 


322  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

The  estates  lost  to  him  by  Lord  Eldon  s  decree,  based 
upon  a  flaw  discovered  in  the  title,  were  said  to  have 
produced  £30,000  a  year  ;  but  this  was  not  the  only  inroad 
made  upon  Beckford's  fortune,  for  the  value  of  all  property 
in  Jamaica  was  rapidly  falling.  It  must  have  been  a  great 
blow  to  Beckford  to  leave  in  his  sixty-third  year  the  home 
upon  which  he  had  lavished  so  much  care  and  in  which  he 
had  taken  so  great  an  interest ;  but  he  wore  a  bold  front : 
I  can  bend  to  fortune,"  he  said  bravely.  "  I  have 
philosophy  enough  not  to  cry  like  a  child  about  a 
plaything." 

Beckford  devoted  some  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
Fonthill  to  the  purchase  of  annuities,  and,  as  at  his  age 
£1000  a  year  was  obtainable  for  the  capital  sum  of  £10,000, 
and  he  lived  for  twenty-two  years,  the  investment  proved 
exceedingly  profitable.  A  considerable  sum  derived  from 
the  same  source  was  put  aside  for  the  purchase  of  a  new 
home,  which  he  hoped  to  find  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Bath.  He  cast  a  longing  eye  on  Prior  Park,  built  by 
Ralph  Allen,  and  made  ineffectual  overtures  for  its 
purchase.  "  They  wanted  too  much  for  it/'  he  said ;  "  I 
should  have  liked  it  very  much,  it  possesses  such  great 
capability  of  being  made  a  very  beautiful  spot.  There 
was  likewise  another  house  near  there,  which  I  was  in 
treaty  for  ;  but  I  really  believe  the  proprietor  took  me  for 
a  gold  mine,  by  the  way  in  which  he  wanted  to  work  my 
pockets ;  but  you  perceive  I  still  continue  to  wear  this 
excellent  little  button  to  secure  the  pocket — which  fashion 
the  excellent  Archbishop  of  Portugal  advised  me  never  to 
leave  off."  Failing  Prior  Park,  Beckford  purchased  two 
houses  at  the  west  corner  of  the  aristocratic  Lansdown 
Crescent,  and  soon  after  bought  the  neighbouring  house. 

Now,  had  I  not  bought  this  house,"  he  told  Cyrus 
Redding, "  I  should  have  been  perpetually  annoyed  by  the 
ticking  of  some  cursed  jack,  the  jingling  of  some  beastly 
piano,  horrid-toned  bells  tinkling,  and  so  on.  The  only 
way  to  avoid  this  was  by  buying  the  house,  and  so  I 


BATH 


323 


bought  it,  to  the  infinite  annoyance  and  astonishment  of 
the  Bath  aristocracy,  an  odd  breed,  I  believe."  He  con- 
nected the  houses  by  a  flying  gallery,  into  which  the  day- 
light penetrated  through  stained-glass  windows.  He  also 
acquired  a  considerable  amount  of  land  on  the  adjacent 
Lansdown  Hill. 

1  am  perfectly  disposed,  my  Dear  Sir,  to  meet  Mr. 
Blathwayte's  ideas  respecting  rent  in  the  manner  that 
gentleman  [finds]  most  satisfactory.  All  I  ask  is  immediate 
possession,  that  the  season  for  planting  may  not  be  lost, 
as  it  is  my  intention  to  convert  every  acre  of  this  field  into 
wood  (he  wrote  to  an  agent  on  January  11,  1825). 

If  Messrs.  Lin  have  any  instructions  to  secure  me  as  a 
Tenant,  they  had  better  conclude  .  .  .  before  the  Bird 
quits  the  Bough  ;  which  may  be  the  case  sooner  than  they 
appear  to  apprehend,  for  my  patience  is  (I  can  most 
seriously  assure  you)  pretty  nearly  exhausted. 

The  conduct  of  Mr.  Salmon,  on  behalf  of,  or  rather 
against,  his  poor  helpless  clients  is  as  disgusting  and 
improper  as  incomprehensible. 

If  they  are  waiting  to  hook  in  the  lands  occupied  by 
Osborne,  they  may  wait  long  enough  ;  that  purchase  being 
to  me  a  matter  of  the  greatest  indifference. 

In  a  similarly  high-handed  fashion  he  subsequently 
dealt  with  the  Bath  authorities,  who  troubled  him  about 
rights-of-way  over  his  new  property. 

I  beg  you  will  inform  Mr.  Taylor  (he  instructed  his 
representative  on  January  27,  1829)  that  if  I  continue 
to  be  annoyed  with  complaints  about  paths,  I  shall  have 
recourse  to  a  sweeping  remedy.  I  shall  quit  Bath  and 
immediately  upon  my  departure  all  my  fences  upon  Lans- 
down shall  be  removed,  the  whole  thrown  open,  and  a 
town  of  not  less  than  1500  hovels  erected  upon  the  fi-ee- 
hold  behind  my  present  habitation.  It  shall  be  said  of 
me — "  Deposuit  potentes  de  sede  et  exaltavit  humiles." 

The  houses  in  Lansdown  Crescent  were,  of  course,  mag- 
nificently furnished,  and  here,  as  previously  at  Fonthill, 


324  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Beckford  interested  himself  in  all  the  details,  nothing 
being  too  trifling  for  him  to  overlook. 

The  little  book-gallery  may  be  moreened  as  proposed, 
but  I  shall  defer  performing  that  operation  upon  the 
dining  parlour  till  another  season,  so  that  the  moths  may 
enjoy  themselves  till  next  April  and  come  forth  in  hundreds 
and  tens  of  thousands  if  they  please  (he  wrote  to  a  Bath 
firm  of  decorators  in  December  [1823  ?]).  To  tell  the  truth 
I  am  rather  afraid  of  the  lumpish  effect  of  so  much  scarlet 
en  masse — and  do  not  wish  to  change  the  hangings  till 
I  have  fixed  upon  a  colour  more  to  my  mind. 

The  contents  of  these  houses  made  them  a  veritable 
museum  of  all  the  arts,  but  in  spite  of  the  treasures  there 
gathered  together,  this  residence  was  generally  regarded 
as  less  interesting  than  Beckford's  estate  on  Lansdown, 
where  the  gardens  had  been  laid  out  under  the  immediate 
supervision  of  the  proprietor,  who  was  particularly  desirous 
that  innumerable  trees  should  be  planted  on  the  barren 
slope.  "  I  have  crowned  Lansdown  with  a  forest,"  he  was 
at  last  able  to  declare  with  great  and  justifiable  pride. 
On  the  summit  of  the  hill,  he  caused  to  be  erected  by 
Goodridge,  the  architect,  a  Tower,  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  high,  crowned  with  a  cast-iron  model  of  the  Temple 
of  Lysicrates  at  Athens.  Subsequently  he  regretted  that 
the  structure  was  not  at  least  forty  feet  higher.  How- 
ever," he  remarked,  "  such  as  it  is,  it  is  a  famous  landmark 
for  the  drunken  farmers  on  their  return  from  market"; 
but  as  the  hill  was  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea- 
level,  from  the  top  of  the  Tower  Beckford  through  a 
powerful  glass  could  see  the  ships  entering  the  Bristol 
Channel. 

The  Tower  had  several  rooms,  all  hung  with  fine 
paintings,  including  works  by  Franks,  Breughel,  Cuyp, 
and  Titian;  and  there  was  one  long,  narrow  apartment 
fitted  up  as  an  Oratory.  The  walls  of  the  Oratory  were 
covered  with  pictures  portraying  devotional  subjects,  and 


LANSDOWN  TOWEK,  BATH 
Willis  Maddox 

prom  a  drawing  on  stone  by  c.  j.  richa.rdson,  f.s.a. 


LANSDOWN  TOWER  325 

at  the  end  facing  the  entrance  stood  marble  figures  of  the 
Virgin  and  Child,  bathed  in  soft  light,  concentrated  upon 
the  group  from  the  windows  in  the  roof.  "  That  is  the 
true  light  of  devotion,"  Beckford  exclaimed  enthusiastically 
to  a  visitor.  "It  is  an  excitement  in  itself  to  solemn 
thoughts  and  prayer — the  dim  religious  light  of  the 
sanctuary.  It  was  that  light  which  they  intended  to 
pervade  the  old  cathedrals.  The  Bath  Abbey  church  is  of 
the  Late  Gothic — too  light  for  such  an  effect." 

In  Wiltshire  Beckford  had  rarely  gone  beyond  the  limits 
of  his  estate,  except  when  driving  to  London  ;  but  at  Bath 
he  might  occasionally  be  seen  at  a  concert  or  a  flower 
show,  and  not  infrequently  riding  on  his  cream-coloured 
Arabian,  either  alone,  attended  by  three  grooms,  two 
behind  and  one  in  front  as  an  outrider,  or  in  company 
with  the  Duke  of  Hamilton  or  a  friend.  He  was  always 
dressed  in  a  great- coat  with  cloth  buttons,  a  buff-striped 
waistcoat,  breeches  of  the  same  kind  of  cloth  as  the  coat, 
and  brown  top-boots,  the  fine  cotton  stockings  appearing 
over  them,  in  the  fashion  of  thirty  or  forty  years  before. 
He  wore  his  hair  powdered,  and  with  his  handsome  face 
and  fine  eyes  looked  every  inch  the  fine  old  English 
gentleman. 

These  appearances  in  public  were  the  only  difference 
between  the  life  Beckford  led  at  Fonthill  and  at  Lansdown. 
In  fine  weather  it  was  his  invariable  custom  to  rise  early, 
ride  to  the  Tower,  look  at  the  flowers,  and  walk  back  to 
his  house  for  breakfast.  He  would  then  read  until  noon, 
transact  business  with  his  steward,  and  later  ride  out  for 
exercise,  again  visiting  the  Tower,  if  there  was  any  planting 
or  building  going  on.  After  dinner,  which  in  those  days 
was  served  in  the  afternoon,  unless  he  had  a  visitor,  he 
would  retire  to  his  Ubrary,  and  occupy  himself  with  his 
correspondence,  his  books,  and  his  prints,  and  the  examina- 
tion of  catalogues  of  sales  sent  to  him  by  the  London  dealers. 
This  routine  was  rarely  varied,  except  when  he  went  to 
London,  where  by  this  time  he  had  removed  from  No.  22 


326  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Grosvenor  Square,  to  a  house,  No.  127  Park  Street,  over- 
looking Hyde  Park,  which,  owing  to  its  somewhat  insanitary 
condition,  he  styled  "  Cesspool  House."  In  1841,  because 
of  its  many  defects,  he  gave  up  this  residence. 

The  Bath  aristocracy  and  the  fashionable  folk  who 
flocked  to  the  watering-place  could  not  understand  how 
books  and  pictures,  music  and  gardens,  could  occupy  any 
one  to  the  exclusion  of  participation  in  the  gaieties  of  the 
town  ;  and  the  rumours  that  had  been  current  in  Wiltshire 
society  were  revived  in  the  little  Somersetshire  valley. 
The  most  awful  crimes  were  placed  to  his  account,  and 
with  them  accusations  of  devil-worship  and  the  study  of 
astrology.  Nothing  was  too  terrible  or  too  absurd  with 
which  to  charge  the  man  of  mystery,  and,  we  are  told> 
"surmises  were  current  about  a  brood  of  dwarfs  that 
vegetated  in  an  apartment  built  over  the  archway  con- 
necting his  two  houses ;  and  the  vulgar,  rich  and  poor 
alike,  gave  a  sort  of  half-credit  to  cabalistical  monstrosities 
invoked  in  that  apartment."  Against  the  latter  suspicion 
it  is  unnecessary  to  defend  him  ;  the  "  brood  of  dwarfs," 
however,  on  examination,  dvdndled  to  one,  Piero  by  name, 
whom  Beckford  had  found  in  an  Italian  city,  homeless, 
friendless,  deserted  by  his  parents,  had  brought  to  England 
and  taken  charge  of  for  life.  "  What  do  you  think  of  him, 
eh  ?  Oh,  he's  a  strange  thing,  isn't  he  ?  "  his  master  said 
to  a  visitor  at  Lansdown,  adding  in  an  unearthly  voice,  in 
allusion  to  the  rumours  in  the  town  below,  "  He  is  a 
Giaour,  and  feeds  upon  toadstools  !  " 

Though  Beckford  at  Bath  rarely  indulged  in  the 
pleasures  of  authorship,  he  was  once  again  to  create  a 
sensation  in  literary  circles,  this  time  with  a  work  written 
nearly  half  a  century  before  it  was  published.  It  has  already 
been  recounted  how  in  his  youth  he  had  composed  the 
"  Biographical  Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters," 
"Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents,"  and 
"  Vathek,"  and,  later,  the  two  burlesque  novels,  "  The 


UNPUBLISHED  WRITINGS  327 

Elegant  Enthusiast"  and  "Azemia."  He  had,  further, 
in  1783  translated  from  the  Arabic  a  short  story,  "Al 
Raoui,"  which,  however,  was  not  printed  until  1799,  when 
it  appeared,  bound  up  with  a  German  version  of  the  tale, 
presumedly  also  by  him,  and  some  of  his  verses,  contributed 
originally  to  the  magazines.  These  books  are  all  that 
Beckford  is  known  to  have  v^itten,  but  the  following 
letter  suggests  that  he  had  also  written  anonymously,  and 
further  had  by  him  unpublished  manuscripts. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

FONTHILL,  1832. 

If  ever  the  world  discovers  the  key  of  certain  anony- 
mous publications  it  will  find  I  have  not  been  idle.  All 
things  considered  it  had  better  not  goad  me  to  publish ; 
many  would  wince  if  I  did.  As  to  the  Episodes  of 
"  Vathek,"  or  the  Memoirs  of  Portugal,  Murray,  or  Col- 
burn,  or  Longman,  or  anybody  might  have  had  them  ;  at 
a  moment,  too,  when  any  sense  or  nonsense  connected 
with  Fonthill  Abbey  would  have  run  through  edition  after 
edition  like  wildfire.  But  not  seeing  their  way  so  clearly 
as  might  have  been  imagined,  they  neglected  the  opening, 
and  shrank  back  from  one  of  the  best  speculations  of  the 
kind  that  ever  presented  itself. 

To  the  anonymous  writings  there  is  not  the  faintest 
clue ;  but  of  the  unpublished  works  something  is  known. 
If  a  writer  in  the  European  Magazine  for  September  1797 
may  be  believed,  Beckford  wrote  a  series  of  "  Letters  on 
the  actual  State  and  leading  Characters  of  several  of  the 
Courts  of  Europe,  and  particularly  that  of  France,  from 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  to  the  Death  of  the 
King,"  but  there  is  to-day  no  trace  of  the  manuscript. 
There  are,  however,  in  existence,  besides  the  "Liber 
Veritatis,"  the  "  Episodes  "  to  "  Vathek,"  and  some  other 
stories  written  in  French,  making  up  with  the  "  Episodes" 
a  "  Suite  des  Contes  arabes,"  viz.,  "  Yao,"  "  Histoire  de 
Danianoc,  Jeune  Homme  du  pays  de  Gou-gou,"  and 


328  WILLIAM  BRCKFORD 

**  Histoire  d'Etonard  Felkanaman  et  d' Ansel  Hougrond." 
In  manuscript  also  in  the  early  thirties  were  the  letters 
written  in  1787  about  Spain  and  Portugal,  and,  composed 
seven  years  later,  the  **  Recollections  of  an  Excursion  to 
the  Monasteries  of  Alcoba9a  and  Batalha." 

Beckford,  who  did  not  underrate  his  literary  gifts,  saw 
with  pleasure  that  "  Vathek  "  was  taking  the  place  to 
which  it  was  entitled.  In  1809  a  new  edition  in  English 
had  been  called  for,  and  this  was  followed  six  years  later 
by  a  reprint  in  London  of  the  original  French  edition, 
because,  so  ran  the  opening  lines  of  the  preface, 

Les  Editions  de  Paris  et  de  Lausanne,  ^tant  devenue 
extremement  rares,  j'ai  consenti  enfin  a  ce  qui  Ton  repub- 
hat  a  Londres  ce  petit  ouvrage  tel  que  je  I'ai  compose. 

Again  in  1823  a  new  edition  of  Henley's  translation 
was  required ;  and,  the  interest  evinced  in  Beckford 
increasing  steadily,  it  was  thought  worth  while  in  the 
following  year  to  reprint,  for  the  first  time  since  its 
appearance  in  1780,  the  "Biographical  Memoirs  of 
Extraordinary  Painters."  So  appreciable,  indeed,  was 
the  demand  for  "  Vathek  "  that  Bentley  desired  to  print 
it  in  his  series  of  "  Standard  Novels,"  and  this  request, 
which  eventually  reached  Beckford  through  the  medium 
of  Clarke,  the  bookseller,  led  the  author  to  think  the  time 
had  come  to  publish  the  "  Episodes,"  and  also  "  Alcoba^a 
and  Batalha  "  and  "  Italy,  Spain  and  Portugal,"  as  he  called 
the  work  that  was  to  include  the  Spanish-Portuguese 
letters  of  1 787  and  a  revised  version  of  "  Dreams,  Waking 
Thoughts  and  Incidents." 

So  early  as  1818  Beckford  had  begun  to  consider  the 
question  of  publishing  the  "Letters."  In  that  year  he 
told  Rogers  that  he  wished  Moore  would  come  to  Font- 
hill,  and  prepare  them  for  the  press.  "  Rogers  supposes 
he  would  give  me  something  magnificent  for  it — a 
thousand  pounds,  perhaps,"  Moore  noticed  in  his  Journal 


"ITALY,  SPAIN  AND  PORTUGAL"  329 

on  October  18 ;  "  but  if  he  were  to  give  me  a  hundred  times 
that  sum  I  would  not  have  my  name  coupled  with  his. 
To  be  Beckford  s  sub,,  not  very  desirable."  There  can  be 
no  doubt,  however,  that  Moore,  as  well  as  Rogers,  saw 
the  manuscript,  and  that  both  authors  "  borrowed  "  ideas 
from  it.*  Beckford  was  aware  of  the  pilfering,  and 
hints  at  his  knowledge  in  the  opening  sentence  of  the 
Preface  to  his  book : 

Some  justly  admired  Authors  having  condescended  to 
glean  a  few  stray  thoughts  from  these  letters,  which  have 
remained  dormant  a  great  many  years  ;  I  have  been  at 
length  emboldened  to  lay  them  before  the  public. 

As  the  following  correspondence  shows,  the  negotia- 
tions for  pubhcation  were  conducted  on  Beckford's  behalf 
by  Clarke,  to  whom  the  author  wrote,  concerning  the 
"  Letters,"  "  1  will  not  disgrace  myself  by  accepting  any- 
thing like  a  common  price  for  so  uncommonly  strange  a 
production." 

G.  Clarke  to  William  Beckford 

1 1  Mount  Street,  Berkeley  Square, 
Sunday,  Srd  Oct,y  1833. 

Sir, 

My  interview  with  Bentley  lasted  from  3  o'clock 
yesterday  until  9  o'clock.  You  will,  of  course,  say,  Sir, 
"  Well,  in  all  this  time  you  must  have  done  something." 
Neither  DTsraeli  nor  Jerdan  were  present ;  and  Bentley, 
perhaps  with  some  truth,  observed  he  preferred  reading  the 
MS.  himself  to  listen  to  D.,  who  might  give  such  effect  to 
it  as  might  lead  him  to  give  more  than  he  otherwise 
would.  My  coolness  in  the  business,  and  absence  of  any- 
thing like  thrusting  it  upon  him  seemed  a  puzzle.  He 
says  Mr.  Beckford's  mind  ought  to  be  disabused  on  the 
subject  of  £1000  as  he  will  not  give  anything  Uke  it. 
Flattered,  as  he  expresses  himself  he  is,  with  your  giving 

♦  See  Lockhart's  article  on  "  Italy,  Spain  and  Portugal "  (Quarterly 
Review,  vol.  li.);  also  Notes  and  Queries,  series  ii.  vol.  iv.  p.  14;  &c. 


330  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

the  preference  to  him,  and  appreciating  that  talent  (which 
everybody  acknowledges)  as  he  certainly  does,  he  is  not 
inclined  to  offer  or  I  to  receive  a  bargaining  affair.  He 
says  he  shall  certainly  to-morrow,  offer  a  handsome  price  as 
the  times  go,  in  the  hopes  that  it  may  lead  to  his  pur- 
chasing Barkiarokh,*  which  he  has  set  his  heart  on.  Some 
time  since,  it  appears,  he  addressed  a  letter  to  you  on  the 
subject  of  introducing  Vathek  into  the  Standard  Novels  to 
which,  of  course,  he  received  no  answer.  He  swears y 
should  the  MS.  be  accorded  him,  to  bring  out  the  work  in 
a  manner  not  to  be  exceeded ;  and,  knowing  as  he  does 
that  it  will  be  his  crack  work  of  this  and  former  seasons, 
to  spare  no  expense  in  the  getting  up  of  it  and  producing 
it  to  the  world.  Whatever  impression  you  have  of  this 
mterview  (and  to-morrow  will  throw  more  light  on  the 
subject)  I  think  we  shall  not  do  better  with  any  publisher. 

I  remain,  Sir, 
Your  truly  obUged  and  humble  servant, 

G.  CLARKE. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Monday,  Uh  Nov.,  1833. 

The  less  Bentley  is  inclined  to  pay  for  Portugal,  the 
more  I  shall  exact  for  Barkiarokh,  should  he  continue 
desirous  of  obtaining  it.  Let  him  take  care,  or  I  shall 
completely  have  done  with  him.  The  apprehension  of 
being  seduced  by  anybody's  reading  him  into  giving  a 
larger  price  than  he  thinks  might  be  probable  is  shabby 
and  little-tradesman -like  in  the  extreme — most  egregiously 
so  when  we  reflect  for  what  and  with  whom  he  deals.  As 
to  the  proposal  anent  the  introduction  of  Vathek  into  the 
Standard  Novels  it  was  never  submitted  to  me.  I  suppose 
my  [agent]  did  not  judge  it  worth  while.  Had  it  been 
made  to  you— the  properest  person  in  every  respect, 
especially  in  this  department — it  would  have  reached  me 
and  been  answered. 

*  One  of  the  unpublished  ^'Episodes"  of  "Vathek." 


"VATHEK"  REPUBLISHED  831 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown,  November  J  1833. 

Octavos  I  never  dreamt  of ;  12mos  not  taller  than  the 
volumes  of  the  Family  Library  are  the  height  of  my 
ambition.  How  to  fill  two  of  them  I  cannot  tell  without 
eking  out  with  matter  scraped  together  from  almost 
obliterated  notes  and  scratches.  To  what  you  have 
already  in  MS.  not  more  than  as  much  again  can  be  added. 
The  quantity  is  trifling — but  then — the  quality — but  then, 
authors  are  not  impartial  judges  of  the  quality  of  their 
own  performances,  and  most  probably  I  form  no  exception 
to  this  almost  general  rule,  though  I  sometimes  flatter 
myself  I  am  the  very  mirror  of  impartiality.  .  .  .  Rest 
assured  that  upon  the  subject  of  the  publication,  I  am  as 
cool  as  the  very  freshest  cucumber  that  ever  issued  from 
Kew  or  any  other  garden.  Bentley  may  be  persuaded  of 
that  truth, 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

LANSDOWNi 

Unless  Bentley  can  persuade  himself,  and  feels  inspired, 
to  give  a  sum  as  round  as  the  great  globe  itself,  nay, 
rounder — for  the  globe  we  know  is  flatter  at  the  poles  than 
my  Episodes,  1  hope,  will  be  found  to  be  in  any  part  of 
them — we  are  not  likely  to  deal.  As  you  are  more  and 
more  convinced,  nay,  write  me  positive  word  in  yesterday's 
letter,  that  he  will  never  think  of  thousands,  he  had  better 
give  up  the  point  and  cease  fidgeting  himself  upon  the 
subject.  As  to  me,  I  am  fidget  proof.  He  may  be  on  or 
off,  twenty  times  running,  just  as  his  fancy  dictates. 
With  him  I  can  never  be  offended,  such  is  my  partiality. 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown,  1833. 

"Portio  mea,  Domine,  sit  in  terra  Viventium."  As 
we  all  run  the  chance  of  a  removal  from  this  wicked 
world  when  least  we  expect  it,  come  to  the  point  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible,  even  upon  terms  somewhat  less 


832  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

magnificent  than  we  talked  of.  At  any  rate,  bring  me  a 
specific  answer,  the  sooner  after  half-past  seven  this  eve 
the  better,  that  we  may  have  more  time  to  discuss  it. 
N'ow  is  the  propitious  moment — now  shines  the  favouring 
star. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown,  183S. 

The  MS.  once  sold  I  shall  dismiss  all  care  about  it. 
Incense  or  rotten  eggs  become  all  alike  to  me  the  moment 
we  part  with  the  work.  And  though  I  may  refrain 
myself  from  writing  the  poor  little  volume  down,  still  I 
must  confess  I  feel  a  strange  sort  of  half-insane  depraved 
inclination  to  do  so.  .  .  .  Adieu. 

Clarke  was  successful  in  arranging  for  the  publication  of 
Vathek  "  in  Bentley's  "  Standard  Novels  "  ;  and  in  1834 
it  appeared  as  No.  LXI.  of  that  series,  the  volume  contain- 
ing also  Walpole's  "  The  Castle  of  Otranto  "  and  "  Monk  " 
Lewis's  "  The  Bravo  of  Venice."  Bentley  became  Beck- 
ford's  publisher-in-chief.  He  at  once  took  over  the  "  Bio- 
graphical Memoirs  of  Extraordinary  Painters "  ;  and  in 
1834  issued  **  Italy,  with  Sketches  of  Spain  and  Portugal " 
—a  work  that  appeared  in  the  same  year  also  in  Baudry's 
European  Library,  published  at  Paris.  In  1835  Bentley 
brought  out  *'  Alcoba9a  and  Batalha,"  and  five  years  later 
republished  this  and  the  earlier  book  of  travels  in  one 
volume — the  last  edition  of  any  of  Beckford's  books  issued 
in  the  author's  lifetime. 

Beckford  s  interest  in  the  various  publications  was 
very  considerable,  and  his  annoyance  with  adverse  critics 
is  only  to  be  compared  with  the  anger  he  displayed  when 
rival  collectors  at  auction  sales  snatched  treasures  from 
his  grasp. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

I  am  most  happy  to  hear  of  the  Countess  [of  Blessing- 
ton  ?]'s  enthusiasm ;  and  if  she  would  but  make  a  certain 


OPINIONS  OF  "VATHEK" 


333 


choice  I  could  point  out  to  her,  my  most  favourable 
opinion  of  her  wisdom  and  judgment  would  be  still 
enhanced.  The  comparison  with  Robinson  Crusoe  delights 
me,  you  may  easily  suppose,  beyond  expression,  beyond 
idea.  What  I  is  Defoe  to  be  thrown  down  too,  as  well  as 
Walpole,  Gray,  Byron,  etc.  ?  O  glorious  me  1  O  fortu- 
nate Beloved ! 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

LansdowNb 

Mr.  Bentley  should  not  fail  to  introduce  his  second 
edition,  if,  indeed,  it  be  coming  forth,  with  a  fresh  lively 
astounding  flourish  of  trumpets,  such  as  may  shame  down 
and  silence  your  penny-squeakists  or  sow-gelder's  horn. 
I  am  sorry  nothing  beyond  a  little  shabby  insignificant 
extract  from  the  Haarlem  scene  had  made  its  appearance 
in  the  Times,  a  paper  of  primary  consequence. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown,  1834, 

Bentley  should  not  relax  his  efforts,  and  be  doubly 
vigilant,  if  he  wishes  to  keep  his  top  spinning.  The  malice 
prepense  of  the  E[dinburgh]  Reviewers  is  perfectly  evident, 
and  can  only  be  overwhelmed  by  a  torrent  of  eulogy  con- 
tinually pouring  forth.  There  is  yet  time  to  make  this 
tide  sweep  all  before  it.  .  .  .  Now  is  your  time  for  increas- 
ing the  Vathek  mania  by  all  that  analysis,  commentary, 
etc.,  can  do  for  it ;  now  the  propitious  hour  for  sharpening 
the  public  appetite  for  more  powerful  Episodes,  which,  if 
ever  they  emerge  from  Hades  into  daylight,  will  reduce 
Byron's  Corsairs  and  Victor  Hugo's  monsters  and  scoun- 
drels to  insignificance.  I  speak  from  fulness  of  heart  and 
conviction,  not  from  any  hungry  or  thirsty  desire  to  treat. 
.  .  .  The  Duchess  has  just  enclosed  me  another  fervid 
letter  about  THE  BOOK !  *  It  is  from  Lady  Dunmore, 
whose  dear  lord  (no  indifferent  judge)  says — what  I  really 
have  not  conceit  enough  to  repeat.  The  Duke  of  Sussex's 
ecstasies  also  pass  all  bounds.    In  short,  the  fever  continues 

•  Talleyrand  pronounced  " The  Book"  the  proper  title  for  Italy, 
Spain  and  Portugal." 


834 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


to  rage  in  every  quarter,  royal,  noble  and  plebeian.  .  .  . 
Mozart  never  wrote  a  more  imposing  overture  to  any  of 
his  operas  than  the  flourish  introductory  to  the  copious 
extracts  from  Vathek  in  the  Morning  Chronicle  of  last 
Monday.  No  wonder  it  should  have  redoubled  a  demand 
for  the  sacred  volume  itself,  unencumbered  with  trash. 
The  frontispiece  (you  may  comfort  the  artist  by  observing) 
produces  a  terrible  and  appalling  effect.  The  prefatory 
notes,  quotations  from  the  Q[uarterly]  and  Byron  are 
contemptible,  and  that  I  desire  you  may  tell  Mr.  Bentley. 
Pray,  who  wrote  the  grand  trumpetage  above  alluded 
to  ?  Was  it  Bulwer  ?  Has  he  written  ?  Or  is  he  to 
write  ? 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

T.  Hook  keeps  cold  and  carefully  aloof.  So  does  the 
vilest  of  reps — you  know  who  I  mean — and  so  does  the 
Examiner,  though  the  quondam  editor,  Leigh  Hunt,  if 
he  has  read  the  book,  must  have  received  some  delight 
from  it.  He  has  too  just  an  eye  for  nature  not  to 
have  been  pleased  at  least  with  some  of  the  landscape 
touches. 

The  adverse  critics  of  Italy,  with  Sketches  of  Spain 
and  Portugal,"  were  few  and  far  between.  It  was,  indeed, 
received  with  a  chorus  of  praise,  and  no  one  cried  "  Bravo ! " 
louder  than  Lockhart,  who  reviewed  the  work  in  the 
Quarterly  Review  for  June  1834.  "  We  risk  nothing,"  he 
wrote  enthusiastically,  "  in  predicting  that  Mr.  Beckford's 
Travels  will  henceforth  be  classed  amongst  the  most 
elegant  productions  of  modern  literature;  they  will  be 
forthwith  translated  into  every  language  of  the  Continent 
— and  will  keep  his  name  alive,  centuries  after  all  the 
brass  and  marble  he  ever  piled  together  have  ceased  to 
vibrate  with  the  echoes  of  Modenhas''  What  Lockhart 
said  in  the  early  thirties  has,  during  the  eighty  years  inter- 
vening, been  echoed  by  every  critic  of  repute,  and  this 


BENJAMIN  DISRAELI  335 

book  shares  with  "  Vathek "  the  distinction  of  having 
elicited  from  Francis  Thompson  the  happy  phrase, 

"  That  Atlas  among  enchanters,  Beckford."  * 

The  two  English  writers  of  his  day  with  whom,  on  the 
whole,  Beckford  had  most  in  common,  were  Lord  Byron 
and  Benjamin  Disraeli.  Both  these  men  had  expressed  a 
very  keen  appreciation  of  the  works  of  their  brother- 
author;  but  while  Beckford  declined  an  opportunity  to 
make  Byron's  acquaintance,!  he  was  anxious  to  see 
Disraeli.  Though  horrified  to  hear  that  the  latter  smoked, 
and  thinking  little  of  his  chances  as  a  politician,  he  was — 
and,  to  Disraeli's  delight,  he  made  no  secret  of  it — much 
attracted  by  the  young  man's  writings. 

Benjamin  Disraeli  to  his  Sister 

May  26,  1832. 

I  received  your  letter  yesterday, — and  the  note  you 
enclosed  was  from  Beckford,  to  whom  I  had  sent  a  copy 
of  "  Contarini."  His  answer  is  short,  but  very  courteous. 
It  commences  with  four  exclamations.  "How  wildly 
original !  How  full  of  intense  thought !  How  awaken- 
ing !  How  delightful ! "  This  really  consoles  one  for  Mr. 
Patmore's  criticism  in  the  Court  Journal\ 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

[Lansdown,  1833.] 

You  were  probably  in  a  great  hurry  when  you  de- 
spatched the  Waverley,  etc.,  just  received,  or  you  would 
scarcely  have  omitted  some  observations  on  my  letter  to 
Disraeli.  There  are  innumerable  passages  in  Alroy  of  the 
inost  exquisite  beauty,  which  fully  justified  my  predilec- 
tion for  the  most  original  author.  The  highly  poKshed 
style  he  has  adopted  resembles  a  good  deal  that  of  the 

♦  "Shelley"  (ed.  1909),  p.  74. 
t  See  p.  146  of  this  work. 

%  "  Lord  Beaconsfield's  Letters,  1830-1852/'  ed.  1887,  p.  76. 


336  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

Idyll  I  read  to  you  in  Park  Street.  I  doubt,  however, 
that  it  will  take,  or  that  such  refinement  as  Disraeli 
displays,  both  in  sentiment  or  diction,  can  be  appreciated 
by  the  gross  rattling  readers  of  the  present  cold-hearted 
period.  I  much  doubt  that  the  work  will  become  more 
popular  than  his  C[ontarini]  F[leming]  or  obtain  a  wider 
currency.  ...  I  wonder  whether  D[israeli]  is  partial,  or 
the  contrary,  to  French.  Unless  very  conversant  with 
that  language  the  Episodes  to  V[athek]  would  be  thrown 
away  even  upon  him.  Had  I  remained  in  Town  I  would 
have  seen  him,  but  I  would  not  advise  an  excursion  to 
Bath  for  that  purpose.  I  should  remain  inaccessible.  We 
are  probably  destined  to  meet,  but  when  and  where  is 
doubtful. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

Much  do  I  regret  that  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Disraeli 
has  not  yet  offered.  I  trust  it  will  ere  long,  when  I  shall 
most  probably  afford  him  a  glance  of  my  Portuguese 
Memoirs,  and  the  fragment  of  another  Arabian  composi- 
tion entitled  the  Three  Mountains. 


G.  Clarke  to  William  Beckford 

1 1  Mount  Street,  Berkeley  Square, 
9  March,  1833. 

Sir, 

On  my  entering  DTsraeli's  sitting-room  I  found 
him  with  his  Father  and  brother  smoking — the  trio  scarcely 
visible.  He  seemed  much  pleased  with  your  note,  and 
expressed  himself  highly  complimented  in  it — his  remarks 
to  his  father  on  the  elegance  of  its  composition  were  cer- 
tainly of  the  true  order ;  he  has  a  very  happy  maimer  of 
expressing  his  ideas  which  seemed  formed  on  an  excellent 
foundation. 

Fraser  perhaps  may  say  something  next  month,  but 
what  I  can  hardly  guess. 

The  paragraph  which  appears  in  the  Athenceum  of  to- 
day was  at  my  request.  Should  you  like  the  insertion  in 
that  paper  of  anything  more  potent,  it  shall  be  done  on 
receiving  a  hint  or  two.  ... 


BENJAMIN  DISRAELI 


337 


From  what  I  see  of  D'Israeli  I  should  say  he  is  not 
sufficiently  "French"  to  comprehend  Vathek;  however, 
I  may  be  wrong — he  is  an  "  Oriental  Voluptuary  "  and 
concocts  his  scenes  with  great  effect. 
I  am,  Sir, 

With  respect, 

Your  much  obliged  Servant, 

G.  CLARKE. 


William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

[Lansdown,  March  1833.] 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  Disraeli  and  Co.  are  smoking 
away  like  vulgar  Factories,  sorrier  than  you  are,  no  doubt, 
who  so  often  take  a  whiff.  Your  conjectures  as  to  Contarini 
Fleming  s  French  are  probably  enough  well  founded.  I  am 
also  very  sorry  for  that,  as  in  that  case  he  will  only  be 
able  to  guess  at  the  Episodes.  Whatever  his  French 
may  be,  his  English  is  the  loveliest  and  most  superior  I 
ever  met  with.  I  shall  probably  tell  him  so  in  a  day  or 
two,  when  I  may  send  you  some  short  and  rapid  reflec- 
tions upon  his  works,  which  will  delight  him  far  more 
than  the  note  you  delivered,  and  which  had  little  merit 
except  its  warmth  and  sincerity.  These  reflections  (if  I 
should  send  them)  are  only  to  be  shown  him  quite  en 
passant,  ...  I  have  slowly  and  reluctantly  finished  the 
truly  Wondrous  Tale  of  Alroy,  which  I  wish  had  been 
extended  to  twenty  volumes.  I  did  not  hurr)^  on,  fearful 
of  expending  the  treasure  too  fast ;  for  a  treasure  I  consider 
it  to  be,  and  of  the  richest  kind.  No  Man  of  Genius  could 
lay  his  hand  upon  his  heart  and  declare  that  this  glowing 
composition  contains  not  the  highest  poetry,  without 
acting  the  part  of  a  traitor  to  the  "  interior  God  " ;  and 
from  some  mean  interested  cause  attempting  to  deceive 
others.  .  .  .  The  latter  part  of  Alroy  affected  me  deeply. 
What  can  be  truer  to  Nature  or  more  admirable  than  the 
delineation  and  development  of  the  character  of  Hossain  ? 
His  speaking  of  the  agony  of  impalement  and  the  deadly 
effect  of  that  horrid  spectacle  upon  the  bystanders,  suffi- 
cient to  turn  their  blood,  with  all  the  cant  of  a  medical 
professor,  is  a  master-stroke.  The  scenes  in  the  dungeon 
are  heart-rending.   The  hyena-like  fierceness  and  treachery 

Y 


338 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


of  Schirene  most  ably  drawn — the  death  of  Miriam  beau- 
tiful— the  heroism  of  the  youthful  and  still  lovely  Alroy 
sublime.  If  you  happen  not  to  have  yet  read  the  book 
{and  attentively  too),  you  will  not  comprenend  a  word  I 
have  written.  What  appears  to  be  hauteur  and  extreme 
conceit  in  Disraeli  is  consciousness,  uncontrollable  con- 
sciousness of  superior  powers,  and  most  proud  I  am  to 
perceive  that  he  is  so  strongly  imbued  with  Vathek — the 
image  it  presents  haunts  him  continually — the  halls  of 
Eblis,  the  thrones  of  the  Sulimans  are  for  ever  present  to 
his  mind  s  eye,  tinted  with  somewhat  different  hues  from 
those  of  the  original,  but  partaking  of  the  same  awful  and 
dire  solemnity. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

You  have  printed  better  things  than  Ixion  in  Heaven. 
The  philosophical  tale  perhaps  may  make  it  go  dovm. 
But  you  know  what  you  are  about,  and  are  quite  right  in 
cultivating  so  superior  and  extraordinary  a  genius  as 
Disraeli — Mr.  Disraeli,  and  not  D'Israeli,  he  writes  him- 
self, though  for  my  part  I  think  D'Israeli  in  better  taste. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown 

I  should  think  Alroy  has  no  chance  in  Marylebone,  not- 
withstanding the  terseness  and  energy  of  his  address  to  the 
electors.  What  can  possess  so  bright  a  genius  to  dabble 
again  and  again  in  such  a  muddy  horsepond  ?  .  .  .  The 
grandeur  of  thought  and  power  of  expression  that  most 
extraordinary  writer  possesses  are  truly  remarkable.  As 
he  dates  from  Berkshire  perhaps  he  is  not  yet  returned  to 
confound  his  own  smoke  with  that  of  the  Metropolis. 

Benjamin  Disraeli  to  William  Beckford 

July  3rd,  1834, 

I  am  very  sorry.  I  hope  you  will  not  fall  into  the 
hands  of  a  Pict. 

Yours  ever  faithfully, 

B.  DISRAELI. 


BENJAMIN  DISRAELI  339 


If  you  have  time,  read  The  Infernal  Marriage  in  the 
New  Monthly, 

[ENCLOSURE] 

Macvey  Napier  to  Benjamin  Disraeli 

Edinburgh,  June  28tkj  1 834. 

Dear  Sir, 

I  am  very  much  obliged  by  your  offer  to  review 
Beckford's  Travels,  but  having,  a  week  or  two  ago,  made 
an  arrangement  in  regard  to  that  work  for  the  October 
Number,  I  am  thereby  prevented  from  availing  myself  of 
your  kind  intentions  on  this  occasion. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Dear  Sir, 

Your  faithful  and  ob^  Serv*, 

MACVEY  NAPIER. 

William  Beckford  to  G.  Clarke 

Lansdown. 

Pray  tell  Disraeli  that  I  have  read,  enjoyed,  and 
admired  his  Infernal  Marriage.  The  sly,  dry  humour  of 
that  most  original  composition  is  to  me  delightful.  The 
Parcse  are  capital,  and  the  idea  of  the  Furies,  though  they 
look  rather  horrible  or  so,  meaning  well,  is  one  of  those 
traits  of  sheer  wit  peculiarly  English.  Proserpine  is  a  fine 
lady  of  the  first  order,  not  unlike  the  amorous  race  of 
Courland,  a  genuine  Biret — in  short,  a  Duchesse  de  Dino 
when  in  her  bloom.  The  grizzly  monarch  is  a  gentleman 
and  a  king  every  inch ;  his  abode,  his  little  comforts,  his 
faithful  dog  (and  what  a  dog !  how  grandly  and  terribly 
shadowed  forth  !)  are  freelined  by  the  well-known  hand  of 
a  true  poet.  Though  D[israeli]  is  perpetually  galloping 
over  Vathek's  manor  of  hell,  it  is  no  trespass.  The  Caliph 
and  Alroy  were  born  co-lords  of  that  appalling  region  ; 
its  gloom,  its  vastness,  its  undefined  horrors  are  their  own, 
and  the  dreadful  game  they  may  start  from  its  coverts 
belongs  to  them  by  prescription,  as  much  as  it  did  in  his 
day  to  Dante.  Who  dares  deny  it  was  decreed  from  the 
beginning  of  time  that  Eblis  should  be  pourtrayed  reigning 
supreme  on  his  globe  of  fire,  and  the  burning  hearts  of  his 
misguided  followers  displayed  as  beacon-lights  to  ward  off 
the  perpetrators  of  crime  and  the  wallowers  in  sensuality  ? 
There  is  a  nice  moral  for  you ! 


340 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


G.  Clarke  to  William  Beckford 

11  Mount  Street,  Berkeley  Square^ 
July  l^th,  1834. 

Sir, 

That  the  Parisians  to  a  man  are  ahve  to  Vathek 
admits  of  no  doubt,  that  they  will  be  equally  alive  to  the 
Book  [i.e.,  "  Italy,  etc."]  is  almost  a  certainty.  Vathek  is 
selling  here  amazingly,  many  I  find  prefer  the  original 
Edition  to  the  Lewisian  Walpoleian  lasts  ;  and  some  who 
have  never  read  Vathek  now  are  led  to  do  so  by  their 
having  become  acquainted  with  the  Book — in  short  you 
have  caused  Byron  to  fall  very  low  in  the  Barometer. 
What  the  Picts  will  do,  God  knows ;  Monday  will  shew 
us,  but  this  I  know,  that  they  had  better  beware  not  to 
attempt  to  stifle  the  universal  cry.  Many  thanks,  Sir,  for 
your  invaluable  letter;  it  is  indeed.  Sir,  intrinsically 
important  as  not  only  containing  a  charming  critique  on 
the  Infernal  Marriage,  but  as  giving  a  most  happy,  fervid 
and  masterly  sketch  of  its  Author,  who  I  am  sorry  is  not 
now  in  London.  Her  Grace  [of  Hamiltonj's  note  which 
you  have  condescended  to  send  me  is  merely  an  additional 
proof  of  how  the  fever  rages  in  Scotland, — Oh,  that  they 
could  have  Barkiarokh. 

Merlin  held  out  to  the  last  moment  that  he  would  give 
me  the  MS.,  but  was  unable  to  lay  his  hands  upon  it — I 
sent  him  a  Letter  from  Calais  expressive  of  my  surprise 
and  desiring  him  to  forward  it  in  a  Cargo  which  will 
shortly  arrive  at  Payne's. 

The  Paris  people  seem  anything  but  settled,  the 
Citizen  King  not  the  most  popular  one. 
I  remain,  Sir,  very  respectfully. 

Your  much  obliged  and  humble  Servant, 

G.  CLARKE. 

Benjamin  Disraeli  to  William  Beckford 

31a  Park  Street. 

Dear  and  Honoured  Sir, 

I  send  you  some  tribute  in  the  shape  of  a  piece  of 
marble  which  I  myself  brought  from  the  Parthenon.  It 
may  be  sculptured  into  a  classical  press  for  the  episodes  of 


BENJAMIN  DISRAELI 


341 


Vathek,  which  otherwise  may  fly  away  without  the  world 
reading  them. 

I  think  it  very  unfair  that  I  .  .  .  [manuscript  torn] 
...  I  am  not  permitted  personally  to  express  to  him  how 
much  he  has  obliged 

B.DISRAELI. 
Benjamin  Disraeli  to  his  Sister 

June  16  J  1834. 

I  made  Beckford's  acquaintance  at  the  opera  on 
Thursday.  He  told  me  that  he  would  send  a  copy  of  his 
Travels  to  my  father  as  well  as  to  myself,  but  neither  has 
yet  arrived.  He  says  "  Mejnour  and  Leila  "  [by  Isaac 
Disraeli]  is  capital,  and  he  amused  me  very  much.  .  .  . 

Thus  I  have  had  three  interviews  of  late  with  three 
remarkable  men  who  fill  the  public  ear  at  present: 
O'Connell,  Beckford,  and  Lord  Durham.  The  first  is  the 
man  of  the  greatest  genius;  the  second  of  the  greatest 
taste ;  and  the  last  of  the  greatest  ambition.* 

Benjamin  Disraeli  to  William  Beckford 

Carlton  Club,  Mai/  17  [1837]. 

My  dear  Sir, 

To  prevent  any  mistake  I  write  to  say  I  have 
ordered  a  copy  of  Venetia  to  be  sent  to  you  under  cover  to 
Mr.  Bentley  of  New  Burlington  Street.  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  some  confusion  may  have  occurred  about  my 
last  book,  which  between  Mr.  Clarke,  who  could  not  be 
found,  and  Mr.  Bentley,  to  whom  it  was  afterwards 
forwarded,  may  not  have  reached  you.  I  should  be  sorry 
for  this,  tho'  the  book  was  not  worth  reading.  The 
present  is  more  in  our  way,  tho'  adulterated  enough  with 
commonplace,  I  hope,  to  be  popular. 

I  am  always. 

Yours  faithfully, 
D. 

*  '^Lord  Beaconsfield's  Letters,  1830-1852/'  ed.  1887,  pp.  86-87. 


342 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


To  B.  Disraeli 

Friday,  igth  May,  1837. 

I  not  only  received,  but  admired  Henrietta  Temple — 
and  expressed  my  thanks  in  a  few  lines  which,  it  appears, 
never  reached  their  destination.  Most  spells  of  a  delight- 
ful kind  are  dissolved  or  dissolving — those  of  a  contrary 
nature  are  still  in  force — have  hitherto  prevented  Venetia 
from  reaching  me.  This  morning  I  sent  to  Bentley,  to 
enquire  after  her,  and  received  for  answer  that  she  had 
not  appeared — at  least,  for  me.  This  was  chilling,  for  I 
long  to  see  her,  and  am,  with  the  warmth  of  sincere 
regard, 

Most  faithfully  yrs., 

WILLIAM  BECKFORD. 


CHAPTER  XV 


THE  LAST  YEARS  OF  WILLIAM  BECKFORD  (1838-1844) 

Beckford's  health  :  His  good  spirits  :  His  occupations  :  He 
preserves  all  his  faculties  in  old  age  :  His  activity  :  His  fortune  : 
Correspondence  concerning  the  sale  of  pictures  :  His  last  illness  : 
His  death  :  His  grave 

Though  Beckford  lived  to  the  patriarchal  age  of 
eighty-four,  almost  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life  he  enjoyed 
good  health.  It  has  already  been  said  that  when  nearly 
eighty  he  declared  he  had  never  known  a  moment's  ennui : 
few  men  could  say  so  much ;  yet  there  is  no  doubt  this 
boast  was  true,  for  he  had  stumbled  upon  the  secret  that 
only  the  idle  man  is  bored.  Beckford  was  never  idle  :  he 
had  made  so  many  interests  for  himself  that  every 
moment  of  his  day  was  occupied.  A  man  of  his  age  who, 
in  his  last  weeks,  retains  all  his  enthusiasm  for  his 
books,  his  prints,  and  his  gardens,  may  well  claim  that  he 
has  made  a  success  of  life.  His  intellectual  power  never 
waned ;  his  sight  was  preserved  to  him  unimpaired— at 
seventy-eight  he  could  read  from  manuscript  for  an  hour 
and  a  half  without  resting ;  and  when  his  last  illness  over- 
took him,  he  was  busily  engaged  in  marking  a  catalogue 
of  M.  Nodier's  library,  the  sale  of  which  at  Paris  his  agent 
was  to  attend  to  make  purchases.  He  was  as  enthusiastic 
about  his  collections  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  as  he  had 
been  when  he  took  up  his  residence  at  Fonthill  fifty  years 
before. 

Physically,  too,  considering  his  great  age,  Beckford  was 
wonderfully  active,  and  until  within  a  few  days  of  his 

343 


344  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

death  he  took' regular  exercise  on  foot  and  horseback. 
When  he  was  seventy-seven  he  astonished  a  friend  by 
mentioning  that  he  had  on  the  previous  day  at  dusk 
ridden  from  Cheapside  to  his  house  in  Park  Lane ;  and  a 
year  later  he  stated,  "  I  never  feel  fatigue.  I  can  walk 
from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  a  day ;  and  I  only  use  my 
carriage  [in  London]  on  account  of  its  being  convenient 
to  put  a  picture  or  book  into  it,  which  I  happen  to 
purchase  in  my  rambles."  At  seventy-five  his  activity  was 
so  great  that  he  could  mount  rapidly  to  the  top  of  the 
tower  at  Lansdown  without  halting, — "  no  small  exertion," 
comments  Cyrus  Redding  feelingly,  "  for  many  who  were 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  younger " ;  and  even  eight  years 
later,  during  his  visits  to  London,  he  would  ride  to 
Hampstead  Heath,  or  through  Hyde  Park,  and  along  the 
Edgware  Road  to  West  End,  pulling  up  his  horse 
opposite  the  spot  where  once  had  been  the  entrance  to  his 
mother's  house. 

Most  men  who  Kve  to  an  advanced  age  have  some 
theory  to  account  for  it.  Beckford  had  none,  beyond 
believing  that  his  days  had  probably  been  prolonged  by  the 
fact  that  his  life  had  been  temperate,  and  that,  as  he  grew 
older,  he  took  reasonable  care  of  himself.  "  I  enjoy  too 
good  health,  feel  too  happy,  and  am  too  much  pleased  with 
life,  to  have  any  inclination  to  throw  it  away  for  want  of 
attention,"  he  said.  "  When  I  am  summoned  I  must  go, 
though  I  should  not  much  mind  living  another  hundred 
years,  and,  as  far  as  my  health  goes  at  present,  I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  not."  Thus,  when  going  out  he  would 
put  on  an  overcoat,  even  if  there  were  only  the  slightest 
wind  stirring  ;  and,  however  interested  or  amused  he  might 
be,  he  would  always  retire  early ;  but  while  he  took  such 
precautions  as  these,  he  was  in  no  sense  a  valetudinarian. 
His  love  of  fresh  air,  and  his  activity,  together  with  the 
regular  life  he  led,  undoubtedly  had  much  to  do  with  his 
attaining  his  great  age. 

Though  Beckford  died  a  rich  man,  his  fortune  had 


LAST  YEARS 


345 


greatly  diminished  from  the  £110,000  a  year  and  the 
£1,000,000  in  ready  money  with  which  he  started  life. 
The  lawsuit  and  the  depreciation  of  property  in  Jamaica, 
already  alluded  to,  had  compelled  him  to  give  up  Fonthill ; 
but  even  after  he  had  removed  to  Bath  the  value  of  his 
colonial  plantations  steadily  decreased,  and  were  at  last  sold 
for  £45,000 — even  at  this  price  not  being  easily  disposed 
of  "  I  wish  I  could  as  readily  devise  the  means  of  selling 
the  Jamaica  estates,"  White,  the  solicitor,  of  the  firm  of 
Fownes  and  White,  Lincoln's  Inn,  wrote  to  his  client,  as 
you  can  distinctly  give  directions  for  it."  Towards  the 
end  of  1830  Messrs.  Plummer  and  Wilson,  colonial  agents, 
suspended  payment,  and  Beckford  was  further  incon- 
venienced ;  but,  though  he  occasionally  sold  a  picture, 
there  is  no  ground  for  the  belief  that  he  was  ever  in  want 
of  money,  for  he  left  £80,000  in  securities  and  a  collection 
of  books  that  realised  over  £45,000,  besides  pictures  by 
Romney,  Reynolds,  and  other  masters  that  still  hang  in 
Hamilton  Palace.  He  sold  pictures  merely  to  obtain 
money  to  purchase  prints  and  books  and  to  complete  the 
building  of  the  tower.  His  letters,  in  connection  with 
such  transactions,  are  certainly  not  those  of  a  man  who 
must  sell  at  any  price. 

[Lansdown]  6  March  [1841]. 

Unless  Mr.  H[olford]  learns  how  to  act  with  more 
discernment  and  less  timidity  he  will  never  form  the 
transcendent  collection  I  thought  he  aimed  at. 

In  the  present  instance,  1500  gs.  was  not  too  much  to 
have  given  for  a  Wouvermann  of  such  rare  and  unques- 
tionable excellence,  nor  were  the  two  leading  specimens  of 
their  respective  masters,  the  V.H"®  and  the  Gaspart,  at 
1000  gs.  apiece,  rated  above  their  value.  One  day  or 
other,  Mr.  H.  will  be  sensible  of  the  mistake  he  has  com- 
mitted. On  my  side  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  to  retain  the 
pictures,  and  do  not  regret  in  the  least  that  the  offer  was 
neglected. 


346  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


Bath,  6  May,  1841. 

INIr.  Holford  or  Holdforth,  as  he  ought  to  be  called, 
sometimes  makes  a  good  hit ;  but  he  writes  pedantically, 
if  I  may  judge  from  the  extract  just  reed.,  and  is  not 
competent,  I  fear,  duly  to  appreciate  this  pure  and  affect- 
ing picture.  I  cannot  understand  Ld.  Crewe — the  Wright 
business  is  not  desperate — Why  does  he  not  come  for- 
wards again  ?  I  wd.  treat  with  Mm  upon  easier  terms  than 
with  any  other  person  in  the  universe. 

I  doubt  your  doing  anything  to  good  purpose  with 
such  a  cold-blooded  pragmatical  prig  as  the  conceited  un- 
conscious dupe  of  many  and  many  a  notorious  member  of 
the  swell  mob  of  London  dealers — placing  such  a  picture 
in  such  hands  will  be  almost  as  bad  as  sacrificing  it  to 
Sir  Benjamin's  job-masters. 

My  patience  is  [so]  nearly  worn  to  the  very  last  dregs 
that  unless  despatch  is  used  by  some  one  or  other — I  shall 
renounce  this  pretty  picture  and  make  up  my  mind  to 
finish  the  tower  in  that  plain,  effective  inexpensive  way  we 
may  shortly  contrive  to  do  by  laying  our  heads  together. 
I  am  from  my  heart  most  cordially  yrs., 

W.  B. 

[Bath]  1th  May,  1841. 

Lord  Crewe,  I  hear  from  several  quarters,  is  fitting  up 
his  ancient  hall  in  a  very  pure  style.  How  desirable, 
therefore,  the  Perugino  ought  to  be  to  him.  I  heartily 
wish  before  it  be  too  late  that  he  would  renew  an  offer  and 
save  me  the  disgrace  of  selling  to  the  Lobbingal  gallery 
or  to  such  a  connoisseur  as  Mr.  Holdforth,  who,  to  judge 
from  the  extract  of  his  letter  at  this  moment  staring  me 
in  the  face,  has  no  true  feeling,  no  just  appreciation  of 
the  unquestionable  merits  of  this  most  venerable  picture. 

My  patience  being  exhausted  (as  I  stated  in  my  letter 
of  yesterday),  if  you  cannot  close  with  Mr.  Holdforth, 
and  Ld.  Crewe  remains  a  nonentity,  I  shall  treasure  up 
the  picture  and  finish  the  tower  in  the  cheapest  manner 
we  can  devise. 

[Bath]  Saturday,  8tk  May,  184-1. 

I  am  grieved  to  find  you  are  suffering  so  cruelly. — 
Rheumatism  of  all  kinds  and  in  all  their  most  painful 
varieties  are  the  natural  consequences  of  the  sudden  ups 


SALE  OF  PICTURES 


347 


and  downs  of  the  barometer.  You  cannot  be  too  cautious, 
as  I  have  repeated  again  and  again. 

You  will  have  observed  from  my  letter  of  yesterday 
how  perseveringly  I  cleave  to  Ld.  Crewe,  and  how  greatly 
I  should  prefer  hearing  the  Perugino  had  found  its  proper 
place  in  Crewe  Hall  instead  of  some  upstart  or  refurnished 
mansion  of  Mr.  Holdforth's.  That  poor  rich  man  has 
nothing  in  him  but  money.  Nature  has  not  endowed 
him  with  taste,  and,  as  he  most  perpetually  chooses  to  be 
his  own  teacher,  he  will  never  acquire  knowledge.  It  is 
mortifying  such  a  shallow-pated,  half-witted,  but  thoroughly 
conceited  false  connoisseur  should  be  admitted  even  to 
the  sight  of  the  picture ;  he  is  far  too  prosaic  to  compre- 
hend or  value. 

Let  his  Mr.  Hipsley  be  told  again  that  I  am  not  to  be 
dawdled  with,  why  should  I  ?  and  that  my  decided,  sincere 
admiration  of  this  picture  is  sufficient  to  stamp  its 
eminence. 

If  Mr.  H.  cannot  make  up  'his  mind  immediately  to 
secure  it  I  have  done, — he  need  not  take  the  trouble  of  a 
journey  to  Bath. 

And  now, — take  such  steps  as  may  bring  a  decisive 
answer  from  Ld.  Crewe,  who  may  rest  satisfied  that  it 
will  be  his  fault,  not  mine,  if  this  long- vended  negociation 
be  not  concluded  in  a  manner  mutually  pleasing  to  both 
parties. 

As  to  the  wines — unless  they  are  positively  of  the 
very  superior  quality  you  imagine, — their  being  reasonable 
in  point  of  price  is  but  a  secondary  consideration. 

I  shall  be  most  happy  to  learn  that  these  dreadful 
pains  have  left  you,  and  am  ever  yours  with  anxious  and 
friendly  regard, 

W.  B. 

[Bath]  11/^  May,  1841. 

Facts 

This  is  the  last  week  I  shall  submit  to  the  insolent  and 
contemptible  dawdlings  I  am  experiencing. 

(1)  I  relieve  Sir  B.  from  any  further  trouble  .  .  .  my 
eyes  being  wide  open  to  the  quarter  for  which  he  has  been 
notoriously  at  work  ,  ,  ,  no  picture  of  mine  shall  he  ever 
have  .  .  .  at  any  price. 


848 


WILLIAM  BECKFORD 


(2)  Ld.  Crewe  has  lost  an  opportunity  which  shall 
never  return,  ,  .  ,  I  have  done  with  him. 

I  see  from  Buchanan's  visit  to  me  the  drift  of  his  busi- 
ness, he  wants  me  to  permit  the  Perugino  to  come  to  town 
that  he  may  persuade  or  dissuade  the  conceited  dupe 
according  to  his  own  view  and  interest.  This  shall  never 
be.  The  picture  shall  not  move  from  Bath  unless  pur- 
chased upon  the  spot.  With  the  present  week  expires 
Mr.  Holdforth's  chance  of  possessing  it ;  as  he  is  in  no 
hurry  to  take  a  trip  to  the  only  scene  of  action  I  allow  of, 
the  Bellini  is  now  out  of  the  question.  Does  he  imagine 
that  finest  of  Bellini  s  portraits  is  to  be  sent  upon  a 
venture  to  London  ?  If  he  does,  he  is  terribly  mistaken  !  * 

Neoot  Saturday,  the  15th  inst.,  closes  this  bungling 
business,  and  so  you  may  assure  Mr.  Hip  something. 

The  Doge  shall  replace  Ostade,  and  the  Perugino  the 
semicircular  shelves  in  the  Jerusalem-looking  lobby  at 
Lansdown  Tower. 

[Bath]  Thursday^  13th  May,  1841. 

Our  opinions  perfectly  coincide  upon  the  subject  of  all 
these  miserable  dealers  .  .  .  they  are  little  better.  I  look 
upon  the  negociations  as  ended.  Mr.  H.'s  answer  may 
easily  be  anticipated,  and,  be  it  what  it  may,  will  be 
treated  by  me  with  the  most  contemptuous  indifference. 

Cesspool  House,  Tuesday,  25th  May,  1841, 

Ld.  Crewe  may  set  his  poor  little  mind  at  rest  and 
listen  to  dealers  as  often  as  he  pleases  .  .  .  the  picture 
shall  never  be  his,  cheap  or  dear, 

I  am  more  surprised  at  Mr.  H.'s  boggling  as  he  really 
appears  alive  to  the  beauty  and  purity  of  the  Perugino. 

Your  letters  never  tire  my  patience,  nor  does  the 
extension  of  your  last  require  any  apology. 

I  confirm  all  I  wrote  last  upon  the  subject  of  dis- 
patch .  .  .  the  Coffers  must  be  finished  .  .  .  whether  in 
gilded  wood  or  gilded  metal  is  to  me  indifferent  .  .  .  the 
long  side-table,  with  its  black  marble-bordered  slab  of 
extraordinary  good  quality  broccatelle,  should  be  com- 
pleted as  fast  as  possible.    There  is,  I  can  assure  you,  no 

*  Bellini's  portrait  of  the  Doge  of  Venice  was  sold  by  Beckford  in  the 
last  weeks  of  his  life  to  the  National  Gallery  for  £600.  By  a  coincidence 
it  was  hung  in  the  Gallery  on  the  day  he  died. 


DEATH 


349 


time  to  lose,  as  the  next  effluvia  of  Cesspool  House  will 
drive  me  home  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  In  shorty  I 
shall  most  probably  set  forth  on  my  return  to  London 
next  Monday,  2nd  June. 

I  beg  this  intelligence  may  not  prevent  your  entering 
more  into  detail  respecting  the  Tower  cabinets,  etc. ;  and 
if  you  please,  by  return  of  post. 

I  shall  rejoice  to  see  you,  and  am  cordially  yours, 
with  every  friendly  sentiment, 

W.  B. 

Until  the  last  week  of  April  1844  Beckford  occupied 
himself  in  his  usual  way,  walking  and  riding,  and  working 
in  his  library.  Then  influenza  laid  hold  of  him,  and 
though  he  struggled  manfully  against  it,  at  last  there 
was  no  doubt  that  the  end  was  near.  He  sent  a  last 
laconic  note  to  his  surviving  daughter,  the  Duchess  of 
Hamilton,  "  Come  quick !  quick ! "  and  a  day  or  two 
after  her  arrival,  on  May  2,  he  expired,  with  perfect 
resignation,  and,  we  are  told,  so  peacefully  that  those 
by  his  side  could  not  tell  the  moment  when  he  passed 
away. 

His  mortal  remains  were  on  May  11  interred  in  the 
Bath  Abbey  Cemetery ;  but  soon  after  were  removed, 
and  reburied,  more  appropriately,  at  Lansdown,  under 
the  shadow  of  his  Tower.  On  one  side  of  his  tomb  is  a 
quotation  from  "  Vathek,"  "  Enjoying  humbly  the  most 
precious  gift  of  heaven  to  man — Hope  "  ;  and  on  another 
these  lines  from  his  poem,  "  A  Prayer," 

Eternal  Power ! 

Grant  me,  through  obvious  clouds,  one  transient  gleam 
Of  thy  bright  essence  in  my  dying  hour. 

It  has  been  said  that  Beckford's  was  a  wasted  life,  but 
this  is  a  hard  judgment.  Rather  should  it  be  said,  taking 
into  account  the  temptations — ^perhaps  even  greater  in 
those  days  than  these — ^which  encompass  a  millionaire, 
that  on  the  whole  he  lived  wisely  and  well. 

There  was  no  vice  in  him ;  he  was  not  a  roue,  nor 


350  WILLIAM  BECKFORD 

was  he  unduly  addicted  to  the  pleasures  of  the  table ; 
while  such  hobbies  as  he  had — the  collection  of  pictures, 
prints,  and  books — were  virtues.  Attacked  early  in  life  by 
a  vile  slander,  he  held  his  head  high,  and  let  only  an 
intimate  friend  here  and  there  suspect  how  sorely  he  was 
hurt  by  the  unfounded  charge.  He  would  not  even  con- 
descend to  deny  the  accusation;  and  his  seclusion  at 
Fonthill—  though,  as  has  been  said,  this  seclusion  has  been 
grossly  exaggerated — was  a  dignified  protest  against  it. 
His  pride  was  great,  and  nothing  could  break  it  down, 
happily  for  him,  for  his  trouble  was  deep.  It  has  been 
urged  against  him  that  he  did  not  consider  his  colonial 
possessions  entailed  upon  him  any  responsibihty  towards 
those  who  were  labouring  to  build  up  his  fortune,  and  it  is 
true  that  he  did  not  in  the  least  concern  himself  about  his 
Jamaican  slaves  :  like  the  other  owners,  he  left  their  wel- 
fare to  his  representatives  in  the  island.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  was  interested  in  the  poor  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Fonthill ;  and  the  building  of  the  Abbey — a  whim  in 
itself  far  from  reprehensible — was  actually  suggested  by 
the  opportunity  it  afforded  to  give  employment  to  those 
in  need.  He  was,  too,  extremely  charitable,  though  for 
this  quality  he  obtained  no  credit  in  his  lifetime,  because 
he  never  allowed  his  name  to  appear  in  any  lists.  He 
did  good  by  stealth,  and,  so  far  as  lay  in  his  power, 
endeavoured  that  it  should  be  impossible  for  him  to  have 
to  blush  to  find  it  fame.  It  was  only  after  his  death  that 
a  suspicion  arose  of  his  generosity,  when  it  was  observed 
that  his  body  was  followed  to  the  grave  by  a  large  number 
of  the  poor  of  Bath,  mourning  a  benefactor.  Riding  at 
Bath  one  day,  he  passed  a  man  who  had  lost  both  legs. 
The  poor  cripple  did  not  beg,  but  Beckford  pulled  up  his 
horse  :  "  Poor  fellow,  you  must  indeed  be  miserable,"  he 
said,  and  emptied  his  pockets  of  gold  and  silver.  The 
beggars  of  Bath  found  him  generous ;  but  he  was  not 
happy  in  distributing  alms  in  this  way.  Sensitiveness 
made  it  more  painful  for  him  to  give  in  person  than  for 


CHARACTER 


851 


the  others  to  receive.  Therefore,  when  secrecy  was 
possible,  he  contrived  that  the  recipient  should  be  un- 
aware of  the  identity  of  the  donor — as,  for  example,  when 
he  settled  an  annuity  on  a  distressed  relative  personally 
unknown  to  him,  Madame  de  Fay;  and  again,  when 
uninvited  he  gave  anonymously  a  considerable  sum  of 
money  to  a  father  to  enable  him  to  send  to  the  university 
a  son  who  had  shown  considerable  ability  as  a  scholar. 

Beckford  had  his  weaknesses,  of  course.  He  was 
egotistical,  impetuous,  and  imperious.  He  was  also  too 
fond  of  praise,  and  tolerated  such  a  man  as  John  Britton, 
who  beslavered  him  with  flattery  in  his  lifetime,  and 
slandered  him  dead.  He  was  inclined,  especially  in  his 
later  days,  to  take  himself  very  seriously,  but  his  sense  of 
honour  always  saved  him  from  becoming  ridiculous  ;  and 
if  at  one  time  he  aimed  at  being  the  English  milord  of 
continental  fancy,  a  character  generally  contemptible,  he 
was  yet  preserved  from  contempt  by  his  great  intellectual 
ability.  Though  it  has  been  reported  that  Mrs.  Gore,  who 
visited  him  at  Lansdown,  portrayed  him  in  her  novels, 
"  Cecil  a  Coxcomb "  and  "  Cecil  a  Peer,"  a  perusal  oi 
these  works — forerunners  of  "  Pelham  "  —  will  satisfy 
those  acquainted  with  the  characteristics  of  Beckford 
that  he  had  little  or  nothing  in  common  with  the  absurd, 
highfalutin  dandy. 

Beckford  was  a  considerate  host  and  a  delightful  com- 
panion. He  had  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  world,  and 
understood  the  motives  of  men  and  women  better  than 
they  desired.  "Men's  faces  are  a  sort  of  alphabet  to 
me.  I  can  read  their  minds  as  easily  as  I  can  read  a 
book,"  he  said  to  Cyrus  Redding :  and  more  than  one  of 
his  acquaintances  have  testified  to  the  truth  of  this  boast. 
He  was  not  a  deep  scholar,  but  he  was,  as  we  have  seen, 
undoubtedly  a  singularly  accomplished  man.  He  had 
seen  many  countries  and  met  many  distinguished  people 
at  home  and  abroad,  and  he  could  garnish  his  conversation 
with  interesting  anecdotes  of  Chatham  and  his  son,  of 


852  WILLIAM  EECKFORD 


Camden  and  Thurlow,  of  Voltaire,  Mirabeau,  Neckar  and 
his  famous  daughter,  Madame  de  Stael,  Lady  Craven, 
"  Egalit^,"  the  Empress  Josephine  (whom  he  had  known 
as  Mdlle.  Beauharnais),  "  Peter  Pindar,"  Gainsborough, 
Romney,  Reynolds,  West,  Samuel  Rogers,  and  scores  of 
other  notabilities.  He  was  acquainted  with  the  literatures 
of  England,  France,  Italy,  Spain,  Portugal,  and  the  East ; 
was  regarded  as  a  high  court  of  appeal  in  questions  of 
art,  and  was  well  versed  in  foreign  affairs ;  but  he  never 
overpowered  any  one  with  his  knowledge,  and,  with  ready 
tact,  would  suit  his  conversation  to  his  company.  To 
those  who  gained  his  esteem  he  was  gracious  and  un- 
assuming ;  but  no  man  could  more  easily  hold  his  own, 
and  those  who  presumed  upon  his  courtesy  and  good- 
nature were  quietly  but  firmly  put  in  their  place  by  a 
cutting  remark  or  a  sarcastic  glance. 

Beckford  s  whole  life  was  a  protest  against  those  con- 
ventions of  society  that  made  men  and  women  into 
machines.  He  had  at  an  early  age  determined  not  to 
sink  his  individuality,  and  to  the  end  he  preserved  his 
striking  personality.  This  personality  alone  would  have 
secured  for  him  a  niche  in  the  social  annals  of  the  day, 
even  if  he  had  not  built  Fonthill,  and  brought  together 
his  wonderful  collections.  His  name  survives,  however, 
not  merely  as  that  of  a  collector,  nor  merely  as  that  of  a 
remarkably  gifted  man,  but  as  a  most  brilliant  amateur  of 
letters,  the  author  of  an  imperishable  book  of  travels  and 
of  a  story  that  is  universally  accepted  as  a  masterpiece. 


APPENDIX 

A  DESCRIPTION  OF  FONTHILL  ABBEY,  WILTSHIRE 
BY  JAMES  STORER 
London,  1812 


Z 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  FONTHILL  ABBEY, 
WILTSHIRE 


The  public  curiosity  has  been  much  excited  for  several  years,  by  the 
building  of  a  lofty  Tower  in  the  conventual  style  of  architecture, 
among  the  w^oody  eminences  of  Fonthill,  in  the  county  of  Wilts  ; 
more  especially,  as  the  extraordinary  mansion,  of  which  it  forms  a 
stately  feature,  has  never  yet  been  open  to  view.    Imagination,  of 
course, had  been  busy ;  but  the  conjectures  of  the  most  luxuriant  fancy 
could  scarcely  conceive  a  scene  so  noble,  so  princely,  as  is  exhibited 
in  the  ABBEY  OF  FONTHILL  upon  a  near  inspection  of  its  com- 
ponent  parts.    This  impression  of  grandeur  is,  if  possible,  increased 
in  passing  through  the  various  apartments  of  the  building,  which  are 
fitted  up  in  an  almost  unequalled  style  of  splendour  and  magnificence. 
In  attempting  a  regular  and  comprehensive  description  of  the  place, 
we  purpose  to  take  some  previous  notice  of  the  grounds,  which  are 
happily  formed  by  nature,  and  improved  by  art,  into  such  a  variety 
of  mazy  and  deceptive  paths,  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  retrace 
the  way  without  a  guide  :  the  circumference  of  the  enclosure  measures 
about  seven  miles,  defended  by  a  stone  wall  and  chevaux-de-frise. 

Fonthill  Abbey  is  distant  from  Salisbury  about  eighteen  miles,, 
and  may  be  approached  through  the  village  of  Fonthill  Bishop,  or  by 
Fonthill  GifFord.  Immediately  upon  entering  the  gate,  the  road 
ascends  through  a  dark  wood  of  firs,  remarkable  for  their  lofty  growth, 
to  a  path  leading  eastward  of  the  mansion,  up  the  Hard  Walk,  or 
Hinkley  Hill.  In  grounds  so  varied,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
give  a  particular  appellation  to  some  principal  points ;  for  without 
this  expedient  it  would  be  impossible  to  direct  the  different  workmen 
and  others  to  their  several  destinations.  This  path  is  skirted  with 
laurel,  and  enclosed  by  matted  underwood :  at  intervals  the  Abbey 
Tower  appears  on  the  left  among  the  trees.  After  traversing  the 
distance  of  about  half  a  mile,  the  forest  lawn  crosses  the  way  ; 
and  turning  to  the  left,  the  nut  lawn  presents  itself,  so  called  on 

355 


356 


APPENDIX 


account  of  the  variety  and  abundance  of  hazels :  here  are  likewise  to 
be  seen  American  and  exotic  oaks  in  high  perfection.  Directly  in 
front  of  this  walk,  at  some  distance,  is  the  Beacon,  a  very  lofty  wooded 
height,  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  notice  as  we  proceed.  The 
way,  continued  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  leads  to  the  Clerk's  Walk^ 
which  on  the  left  passes  the  western  front  of  the  Abbey.  A  narrow, 
mossy  alley  on  the  right,  closely  shaded,  conducts  to  a  path  bordered  , 
with  the  scarlet  thorn,  and,  extending  more  than  a  mile,  presents, 
during  spring  and  summer,  a  beautiful  and  fascinating  display  of 
flowers  of  spontaneous  growth,  of  luxuriant  shrubs,  and  variegated 
hollies. 

The  parts  above  described  are  on  the  north  side  of  the  Abbey. 
Inclining  to  the  north-west,  we  enter  another  path,  called  The  Nine- 
miles- walk,  being  part  of  a  journey  of  twenty-two  miles  which  may  be 
made  within  the  grounds  without  retracing  our  steps  ;  on  each  side  are 
broad  spaces  covered  with  flowers,  which  appear  to  be  cultivated  with 
peculiar  care.  Enclosed  by  large  forest  trees  the  way  may  be  pursued 
in  a  winding  course  to  the  summit  of  the  great  avenue :  having 
attained  the  eminence,  as  we  turn  to  the  east,  the  Abbey  bursts  upon 
the  view  in  solemn  and  imposing  majesty.  This  point  is  the  north- 
western extremity  of  the  grounds,  whence  a  folding  gate  opens  into 
the  public  road ;  crossing  which,  another  gate  leads  to  the  terrace, 
a  woody  ridge,  that  extends  about  five  miles  from  west  to  east. 
Continuing  along  the  western  boundary,  the  prospect  ranges  over  a 
country  extensive  and  delightfully  diversified.  Among  the  most  pro- 
minent objects  are  Alfred's  Tower,  and  part  of  the  grounds  at  Stour- 
head,  the  seat  of  Sir  Richard  Hoare,  Bart. ;  which  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  notice  in  describing  the  surrounding  country  as  viewed  from 
the  Abbey  Tower.  Ascending  the  new  terrace  southward,  the  ground 
upon  the  right  is  an  abrupt  steep,  crowned  with  large  trees  of  various 
species  ;  on  the  left  is  a  deep  woody  bottom,  called  Bitham  Wood. 
Turning  out  of  this  path  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  left,  and  pursuing 
the  walk  through  a  narrow  passage  in  the  wood,  we  arrive  at  the 
Beacon,  one  of  the  loftiest  points  in  the  whole  sweep  of  hills  for  which 
this  part  of  the  country  is  remarkable.  On  the  summit  of  this  hill  is 
a  plain  of  about  five  or  six  acres,  intended  for  the  site  of  a  magnificent 
tower ;  the  foundations  are  entirely  laid,  and  in  most  parts  the  walls 
are  raised  to  the  height  of  nine  or  ten  feet ;  it  is  of  considerable 
extent,  of  triangular  form,  having  a  circular  bastion  at  each  of  its 
angles,  and  being  overgrown  with  shrubs  and  moss  in  a  very  pic- 
turesque manner. 

Declining  towards  the  south-east,  near  the  foot  of  the  Beacon,  a 


FONTHILL  ABBEY  357 

most  interesting  prospect  is  suddenly  and  agreeably  presented.  Over 
a  long  extent  of  ground  varied  by  gentle  undulations,  and  studded 
with  clumps  of  trees,  displaying  a  rich  assemblage  of  glowing  and 
luxuriant  tints,  appears  the  Abbey,  forming  a  grand  mass  of  em- 
battled towers,  surmounted  by  the  lofty  octagon  which  composes  the 
centre.  This  enchanting  scenery  is  backed  by  an  elevated  woodland 
of  a  sombre  aspect,  which  by  contrast  heightens  the  striking  and 
brilliant  effect  of  the  edifice.  Descending  into  the  bottom,  a  fine 
pellucid  lake  reflects  the  surrounding  beauties  of  the  place  ;  in  some 
parts  of  unfathomable  depth,  and  having  the  appearance  of  the 
crater  of  an  ancient  volcano  ;  stretching  and  meandering  so  as  to  give 
an  idea  of  even  much  greater  magnitude  than  it  possesses.  The  lake 
is  plentifully  supplied  with  wild  fowl,  and  the  woodcock  has  frequently 
chosen  this  sequestered  valley  for  her  nest.  As  shooting  is  not  per- 
mitted within  the  enclosure,  every  animal  sports  undisturbed;  and 
conscious  of  security,  the  hares  will  feed  at  the  horse's  feet  from  the 
hands  of  the  rider,  and  frequently  associate  in  great  numbers  within 
a  few  paces  of  the  windows.  Passing  through  a  sheltered  walk, 
bordered  on  one  side  with  the  hardiest  English  and  Mediterranean 
heaths,  the  American  Plantation  is  seen,  broken  into  picturesque 
forms  by  the  margin  of  the  water.  This  plantation  is  principally 
made  upon  the  declivity  of  a  large  knoll,  and  exhibits  every  variety 
of  the  magnolia,  azalia,  and  rhododendron  hitherto  imported.  Here 
is  a  pleasing  view  of  the  Abbey.  In  a  direction  south-east  there  is  a 
romantic  hollow,  made  still  more  interesting  by  the  works  that  are 
here  erected  for  supplying  the  Abbey  with  water.  A  wheel  about 
twenty-four  feet  in  diameter  is  put  into  motion  by  a  stream  con- 
ducted from  the  lake  through  a  wooden  trough,  several  smaller 
water-courses  assisting  in  the  operation  ;  the  water  thus  raised  to  a 
certain  level  in  the  hydraulic  machine  is  passed  into  pipes,  and  con- 
veyed underground  to  the  house — the  whole  contrivance  being 
remarkably  simple,  and  reflecting  great  credit  on  the  inventor. 
Approaching  from  this  picturesque  dell  to  the  southern  side  of  the 
Abbey,  we  arrive  at  a  small  garden,  surrounded  by  a  light  iron  fence, 
which  is  called  the  Chinese  Garden,  particularly  appropriated  to  the 
culture  of  the  rarest  flowers.  A  little  to  the  eastward  is  the  kitchen 
garden,  containing  eight  or  nine  acres,  screened  on  the  northern 
side  by  a  wood  of  lofty  pines.  From  the  garden  we  arrive  nearly 
at  the  point  from  which  we  set  out,  and,  taking  a  short  winding 
walk  between  the  trees,  come  directly  upon  the  lawn  in  front  of 


358 


APPENDIX 


THE  ABBEY. 

This  building,  which  was  designed  by  Mr.  Wyatt,  aided  by  the 
acknowledged  taste  of  Mr.  Beckford,  consists  of  three  grand  and 
leading  features,  conjoined  by  the  galleries  and  the  cloister.  In  the 
centre  is  the  great  hall  and  principal  tower ;  towards  the  north  are 
two  large  square  towers,  which  are  balanced  at  the  other  extremity, 
or  southern  end,  by  a  group  of  varied  edifices,  with  embattled 
parapets. 

The  northern  part  of  the  gallery,  as  seen  in  the  annexed  View, 
shews  part  of  the  oratory,  the  window  of  the  gallery  leading  to  it,  the 
oriel  of  the  Lancaster  apartment,  and  the  windows  of  the  adjoining 
gallery.  Below  are  the  simply  elegant  windows  of  King  Edward's 
gallery :  to  the  right  is  a  round  tower,  with  a  winding  staircase  lead- 
ing to  the  apartments  in  the  octagon. 

The  south-west  view  comprehends  the  whole  building  from  north 
to  south,  the  perspective  of  the  hall  hiding  the  north  wing  all  but  its 
extremity.  The  front  of  the  hall  presents  a  door  thirty-five  feet 
high,  adorned  with  crockets,  and  a  highly  wrought  finial.  On  the 
top  of  the  pediment  is  a  niche,  containing  a  statue  of  St.  Anthony 
of  Padua,  surmounted  by  a  cross-flory,  the  arms  of  William  the  first 
Lord  Latimer,  from  whom  Mr.  Beckford  is  lineally  descended.  The 
great  tower,  which  is  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  in  height,  is 
seen  rising  between  four  pediments,  whose  projections  form  the  two 
stories  of  apartments  around  the  octagon,  the  upper  ones  having  a 
catherine-wheel  window  upon  a  level  with  openings  of  the  same 
description  seen  within  the  octagon.  Directly  under  the  tower 
appears  the  western  cloister,  behind  which  is  a  square  paved  court, 
having  in  its  centre  a  fountain  that  plays  into  a  large  marble  basin. 
Between  two  octangular  towers,  south  of  the  cloister,  is  an  oriel  of 
two  stories  attached  to  the  brown  Parlour  below  and  yellow  damask 
room  above ;  the  tower  on  the  north  side  of  the  oriel  contains  various 
apartments  ;  that  on  the  south  is  a  staircase  to  this  part  of  the 
buildings. 

The  south  view  represents  the  windows  of  the  yellow  damask  room 
and  of  Mr.  Beckford'^s  private  library ;  below  them  is  a  richly  orna- 
mented cloister  of  five  pointed  arches,  their  outer  mouldings  ter- 
minated by  heads  beautifully  wrought ;  answering  to  each  of  the 
arches,  are  the  parlour  windows,  their  upper  compartments  filled 
with  delicate  tracery  and  painted  glass.  From  the  square  tower 
towards  the  east  projects  the  south  oriel,  forming  the  extremity  of 
the  long  gallery,  which  measures  three  hundred  and  thirty  feet ;  the 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


359 


upper  part  of  this  window  is  of  stained  glass,  representing  the  Four 
Fathers  of  the  Church ;  the  lower  part,  like  most  of  the  windows 
throughout  the  building,  is  the  finest  plate  glass,  of  uncommon  size  ; 
below  the  window  is  a  pointed  door  leading  to  the  lobby  of  the 
parlour. 

The  south-east  view  shows  all  that  is  finished  of  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Abbey.  Here  is  an  oriel  richly  carved,  containing  shields 
with  armorial  bearings,  and  other  devices ;  the  window  is  ornamented 
with  the  figures  of  St.  Columba,  St.  Etheldreda,  Venerable  Bede,  and 
Roger  Bacon,  in  stained  glass,  by  Eginton. 

The  principal  features  of  the  east  side  are  three  large  square 
towers.  We  are  told  it  is  the  intention  of  Mr.  Beckford  to  build  a 
superb  chapel,  directly  opposite  to  the  great  hall.  The  offices, 
stables,  workshops  for  the  artificers,  &c.,  are  all  on  this  side,  closely 
encompassed  by  a  wood  of  firs,  beech,  and  other  large  trees,  and  so 
enclosed  as  to  cause  no  disparagement  to  the  view. 

Having  taken  a  general  survey  of  this  extensive  mansion,  we  shall 
now  proceed  to  describe  its  interior. 

THE  BROWN  PARLOUR. 

This  spacious  apartment,  fifty-six  feet  in  length,  receives  its 
appellation  from  the  dark-coloured  oak  with  which  it  is  wainscoted. 
It  is  lighted  by  eight  pointed  windows,  three  of  which  compose  the 
lower  story  of  the  western  oriel,  the  other  five  range  within  the 
southern  cloister,  and  command  the  prospect  over  a  deep  woody  vale, 
intersected  by  the  Lake  and  by  pleasant  lawns,  beyond  which  rises 
the  forest  that  encloses  Wardour  Castle.  The  upper  tracery  of  the 
windows  is  enriched  with  painted  glass  by  Eginton,  after  the  draw- 
ings of  the  late  eminent  artist,  R.  Hamilton,  R.A.,  representing  a 
series  of  some  of  the  most  historical  personages  among  Mr.  Beck- 
ford's  ancestors.  The  room  is  fitted  up  with  splendid  simplicity; 
two  large  pieces  of  tapestry  adorn  its  northern  side.  Between  them, 
over  the  chimney,  is  a  whole-length  portrait  of  Peter  Beckford,  Esq., 
Mr.  Beck  ford's  great-grandfather.  He  was  Lieutenant-Governor  and 
Commander-in-Chief  of  Jamaica,  and  was  honoured  with  the  presidency 
of  the  council,  and  most  of  the  civil  as  well  as  military  employments 
of  that  Island,  where  he  greatly  distinguished  himself  at  the  French 
invasion  in  169S.  His  son,  likewise  named  Peter,  was  esteemed  the 
richest  subject  in  Europe.  He  married  Bathshua,  daughter  and 
coheir  of  Julines  Hering,  Esq.,  and  was  the  father  of  William  Beck- 
ford, Esq.,  the  late  celebrated  senator. 


360 


APPENDIX 


The  windows  of  the  Parlour  are  hung  with  two  suits  of  curtains ; 
the  inner  one  is  of  blue  damask,  bordered  with  the  tressure  of  Scot- 
land ;  the  other  suit  is  scarlet,  which  gives  the  light  a  rich  and 
sumptuous  effect.  The  ceiling,  tessellated  by  a  neat  moulding,  has  at 
each  intersection  four  oak-leaves  entwined.  Attached  to  this  Parlour 
is  a  small  drawing-room  with  a  groined  roof,  and  an  appropriate 
chimney-piece  of  Purbeck  marble  :  opposite  we  remarked,  upon  a 
table  of  curious  construction,  an  antique  vase  of  the  purest  alabaster. 
A  closet  in  this  little  room  contains  specimens  of  an  almost  unequalled 
collection  of  ancient  china,  which  is  dispersed  in  the  various  apart- 
ments of  the  Abbey.  This  room  leads  from  the  Parlour,  through 
the  cloister,  to  the  great  hall.  Opposite  to  this  a  winding  staircase 
conducts  to  the  apartments  above,  and  to  a  small  gallery,  at  the 
entrance  of  which  is  a  bust  of  Lord  Nelson,  placed  there  as  a  memorial 
of  his  visit  to  Fonthill,  shortly  after  the  glorious  and  decisive  victory 
which  he  obtained  near  the  mouth  of  the  Nile.  This  head  is  esteemed 
a  striking  likeness  of  the  much-lamented  Admiral.  An  account  of 
the  magnificent  manner  in  which  the  Hero  was  entertained  at  this 
place,  on  the  20th  of  December  1800,  appeared  in  the  Gentleman'' s 
Magazine  for  1801. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  small  gallery,  which  is  above  the  yellow 
room  :  it  contains  costly  tables  inlaid  with  oriental  alabaster,  and 
many  invaluable  pieces  of  china.  Opposite  to  the  gallery,  in  the 
small  octagon  tower,  is  an  apartment  furnished  with  several  curiosi- 
ties worthy  of  attention  ;  among  them  is  a  rich  cabinet  of  ebony, 
inlaid  with  lapis-lazuli,  and  other  precious  stones,  designed  by  Bernini : 
over  this  hangs  a  remarkably  curious  old  picture,  representing  the 
Burial  of  a  Cardinal,  by  Van  Eyck.  There  is  likewise  a  fine  Head  by 
Holbein,  and  several  Miniatures  by  Julio  Clovio. 

Adjoining  this  is  an  apartment  devoted  to  the  use  of  such  artists 
as  are  employed  in  directing  the  works  now  carrying  on  at  Fonthill ; 
it  contains  a  collection  of  the  rarest  books  and  prints,  illustrative  of 
ancient  costume.  This  room  has  a  window  of  four  bays  looking  into 
the  fountain  court  already  mentioned ;  on  each  side  of  this  window  is 
a  smaller  one,  with  the  armorial  bearings  of  Mervin  and  Latimer, 
beautifully  executed  by  Pierson.  Here  are  two  inestimable  cabinets 
of  the  rarest  old  japan,  enriched  with  bronzes  by  Vulliamy,  and  a 
portrait  of  the  Duke  d'Alen^on,  by  Zucchero,  once  the  property  of 
Charles  the  First.  Connected  with  this  noble  apartment  is  a  small 
lobby  and  dressing-room,  ornamented  with  several  pictures  and  draw- 
ings ;  the  former  has  two  views  of  the  edifice  that  was  burnt  at 
Fonthill  in  the  year  1755,  and  a  first  design  for  the  Abbey.  The 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


361 


dressing-room  is  furnished  with  bookcases,  and  is  hung  round  with 
drawings  of  the  mansion  lately  taken  down,  and  of  the  ancient  manor- 
house  as  it  appeared  about  the  year  1566,  in  the  time  of  the  Mervins, 
Mr.  Beckford^s  immediate  ancestors.  Here  is  also  a  design  for  the 
tower  once  intended  to  be  erected  upon  the  Beacon,  the  foundation 
and  progress  of  which  have  been  already  mentioned. 

A  passage  now  leads  to  Mr.  Beckford's  bed-chamber:  this  room 
has  two  closets  filled  with  curious  specimens  of  carvings  in  ivory,  and 
other  rarities.  On  one  side  of  the  apartment  is  a  large  glazed  cabinet, 
in  which  are  most  exquisite  pieces  of  japan. 

This  being  the  south-east  extremity  of  the  building,  we  return 
northward  through  the  dressing-room  to  the  upper  library,  or  gallery, 
which  is  vaulted  by  an  obtuse  arch.  At  the  north  end  of  this  gallery 
is  a  square  room  that  looks  through  a  tribune  into  the  great  octagon  ; 
there  are  two  of  these  beautiful  openings  opposite  each  other :  the 
room  of  the  south  tribune  contains  precious  cabinets  and  valuable 
pictures.  That  on  the  north  side  will  be  more  particularly  attended 
to  hereafter.  All  further  progress  this  way  being  interrupted  by  the 
octagon,  we  return  again  through  the  lobby  of  the  dressing-room, 
whence  a  staircase  conducts  to  the  central  eastern  tower  ;  here  is  a 
bed-chamber  hung  with  the  finest  Brussels  tapestry,  *an  apartment 
over  which  terminates  this  part  of  the  building.  Descending,  we 
enter  a  passage,  in  which  stand  six  japan  jars  of  uncommon  size : 
rising  again  by  a  few  steps  we  come  into  the  south-east  tower  directly 
over  Mr.  Beckford's  bed-chamber ;  here  is  a  spacious  apartment,  and 
above  it  another,  that  forms  the  summit  of  this  tower. 

Having  viewed  all  the  principal  apartments  in  the  south  wing  of 
the  building,  it  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  room  directly  over  the 
parlour ;  the 

YELLOW  DAMASK  ROOM, 

so  called  on  account  of  its  splendid  yellow  hangings.  This  apart- 
ment has  five  windows,  three  of  them  compose  the  upper  part  of  the 
western  oriel,  the  other  two  face  the  south.  In  this  room  are  some 
of  the  finest  cabinets  of  japan  and  Buhl  work  in  Europe  :  one  of  the 
latter  formerly  adorned  the  apartments  of  Fontainebleau,  and  is 
remarkable  for  a  beautiful  medallion  of  Lewis  the  Fourteenth. 
Near  the  collateral  windows  of  the  oriel  stand  two  immense  china 
jars,  not  more  valuable  for  their  size  than  quality,  presented  to  Mr. 
Beckford  by  the  Prince  of  Brazil. 

On  the  north-west  side  of  the  damask  room,  in  the  small  octagon 
tower,  is  an  apartment  called  the  green  cabinet  room  ;  it  contains  two 


362 


APPENDIX 


frames,  with  alto-relievos  in  ivory,  of  the  time  of  Edward  the  First,  each 
divided  into  two  compartments  ;  one  frame  represents  the  Virgin  and 
Child,  attended  by  Angels,  and  the  Offerings  of  the  Magi ;  the  other 
contains  the  Salutation  of  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  and  Christ  entering 
Jerusalem.  Here  are  two  tables  of  the  rarest  Florentine  work,  imitat- 
ing shells,  corals,  and  pearls,  upon  grounds  of  lapis-lazuli  and  oriental 
alabaster.  Numerous  articles  of  Japan,  with  a  great  variety  of 
delicate  gold  vases,  some  enamelled  and  others  enriched  with  gems, 
are  arranged  in  cases,  somewhat  in  the  style  of  those  ancient  cabinets 
which  were  called  Ambries.  The  roof  of  this  apartment  is  composed 
of  fan-work,  with  rich  and  elaborate  tracery.  From  the  yellow  room 
by  large  folding  doors  we  enter  the 

JAPAN  ROOM, 

which  contains  Mr.  Beckford's  most  choice  and  rare  books.  The  roof 
is  ornamented  with  circles  filled  with  quatrefoil ;  upon  the  chimney- 
piece  is  a  pair  of  massive  gold  candlesticks,  of  admirable  workmanship. 
Passing  again  through  a  lofty  folding  screen,  composed  of  the  most 
exquisite  tracery,  we  come  to  the  south  end  of 

THE  GALLERY. 

This  is  a  point  peculiarly  impressive — the  oratory  faintly  appears 
through  a  long  perspective  of  vaulted  roofs,  at  a  distance  of  three 
hundred  and  thirty  feet.  Near  the  south  oriel,  which  forms  this  end 
of  the  gallery,  stands  a  large  amber  cabinet,  in  which  are  seen  all  the 
various  hues  of  that  precious  material ;  in  some  parts  the  palest 
yellow  is  suddenly  succeeded  by  the  richest  orange ;  in  others  the  tint 
increases  to  a  garnet  red,  and  again  declines  to  a  purity  almost  white  ; 
its  sides  are  adorned  with  medallions  likewise  in  amber.  This  rare 
curiosity,  which  is  almost  without  a  blemish,  was  once  in  the  possession 
of  the  Qu^en  of  Bohemia,  daughter  of  James  the  First ;  her  portrait 
with  that  of  her  husband  appears  in  cameo  upon  one  of  the  drawers. 
The  cabinet  stands  upon  a  table  of  ebony,  with  torsel  feet,  which 
formerly  belonged  to  Cardinal  Wolsey. 

The  east  side  of  the  gallery  is  lighted  by  an  oriel  and  two  pointed 
windows  (as  seen  in  the  south-east  View  of  the  Abbey)  ;  immediately 
under  the  oriel  is  placed  a  large  japan  chest,  inlaid  with  curious 
devices  in  pearl  and  silver;  the  bordering  is  uncommonly  rich. 
Under  each  of  the  pointed  windows  is  a  superb  Gothic  fireplace  of 
marble,  with  tracery  in  the  spandrils  of  the  arches.    The  windows  on 


FONTHILL  ABBEY  363 

the  west  side  have  their  upper  compartments  of  stained  glass  :  this 
gallery,  with  that  of  King  Edward  the  Third,  forms  the  great  library. 
The  ceiling  is  of  the  richest  fan- work,  having  for' corbels  angels  bearing 
emblazoned  shields  :  the  curtains  are  of  scarlet  and  blue,  which  give 
a  rich  effect.  The  carpeting,  woven  for  the  express  purpose,  is  crimson 
strewed  with  the  Hamilton  cinquefoils,  which  Mr.  Beckford  quarters 
in  right  of  his  mother,  who  was  an  heiress  of  that  illustrious  family. 

From  the  west  side  of  the  gallery  we  enter  the  purple  bedroom ; 
it  contains  a  painted  frieze  by  Cagliari,  representing  the  Woman 
taken  in  Adultery ;  the  Coronation  of  Henry  the  Fourth  of  France, 
by  Phihp  de  Champagne ;  Two  Monks,  an  undoubted  original,  by 
Quintin  Matsys  ;  a  portrait  of  Catharine  Cornaro,  Queen  of  Cyprus, 
by  Paul  Veronese  ;  and  over  the  fireplace  a  Head  by  Holbein,  remark- 
ably pure  and  perfect. 

Proceeding  in  the  gallery  northward,  we  enter 

THE  OCTAGON, 

and  have  a  direct  view  of  the  northern  tribune,  which  is  over  King 
Edward  the  Third's  gallery.  Between  the  piers  of  the  octagon,  which 
are  composed  of  clustered  columns,  bearing  eight  lofty  arches,  are 
four  pointed  windows  of  beautifully  stained  glass,  copied  from  those 
of  the  celebrated  monastery  of  Batalha,  in  Portugal ;  the  other  four 
arches  that  support  the  tower  are  the  openings  of  the  galleries,  the 
entrance  to  the  great  hall,  and  another  arch  built  up  :  this  latter  is 
reserved  for  the  entrance  to  the  chapel  intended  to  be  erected  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Abbey.  The  arches  that  have  no  place  of  egress, 
five  in  number,  are  hung  with  curtains,  at  least  fifty  feet  high,  which, 
concealing  the  termination  of  the  building,  give  an  idea  of  continued 
space  :  the  light  emitted  through  the  painted  windows  of  the  octagon 
presents  a  most  enchanting  play  of  colours,  and  the  effect  produced 
by  the  sombre  hue  of  twilight,  contrasted  with  the  vivid  appearance 
at  different  hours  of  the  day,  is  indescribably  pleasing  and  grand. 
Above  the  eight  arches  is  an  open  gallery  that  communicates  with  the 
higher  suite  of  apartments  ;  from  this  springs  a  beautiful  groining  of 
fan- work,  supporting  a  lanthorn,  lighted  by  eight  windows  richly 
painted ;  the  whole  is  finished  by  a  vaulted  roof,  the  height  of  which 
is  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet  from  the  ground.  Descending  by 
a  flight  of  twenty-eight  steps,  eighteen  feet  in  width,  from  the 
octagon  we  enter  the  great  hall :  this  is  a  magnificent  building  in  the 
ancient  baronial  style ;  the  roof,  which  is  of  oak,  is  decorated  with 
thirty-eight  shields,  emblazoned  with  Mr.  Beckford's  principal  family 


364 


APPENDIX 


quarterings.  On  the  left  side  are  three  windows  of  painted  glass,  the 
borders  in  imitation  of  a  very  ancient  specimen  in  Canterbury 
Cathedral.  On  the  right,  directly  opposite  to  the  windows,  are  three 
lofty  arches ;  the  middle  one  has  a  deep  recess,  in  which  stands  a 
statue  of  the  late  Mr.  Beckford,  habited  in  his  official  robes  as  mayor 
of  London,  with  Magna  Charta  in  his  left  hand. 

The  great  western  doors  are  of  oak,  and,  as  before  observed,  thirty- 
five  feet  high  ;  the  hinges  alone,  by  which  they  are  suspended,  weigh 
more  than  a  ton  :  notwithstanding  this,  they  are  so  exactly  poised  that 
the  valves  may  be  put  in  motion  by  the  slightest  effort.  Over  the 
doorway  is  a  spacious  music  gallery ;  the  access  is  by  a  small  staircase 
curiously  contrived  within  the  thickness  of  the  wall :  its  front  is  of 
Gothic  screen-work  with  a  cushion  of  crimson  extending  the  whole 
breath  of  the  hall.  Above  this  in  the  pediment  is  a  small  window  of 
ancient  stained  glass,  representing  the  Virgin  and  Child.  Ascending 
again  from  the  hall  and  crossing  the  octagon,  is  a  large  staircase 
leading  to  the  Lancaster  apartments  ;  the  northern  tribune  room  first 
presents  itself.  This  is  adorned  with  ebony  and  ivory  cabinets,  vases 
of  agate  and  of  jade,  some  of  them  enriched  with  precious  stones. 
The  pictures  in  this  apartment  are  portraits  of  St.  Lewis  Gonzaga,  by 
Bronzino  ;  of  Jeanne  d'Arkel,  of  the  house  of  Egmont,  one  of  the 
finest  specimens  of  Antonio  Moro  ;  two  pictures  by  West  from  the 
Revelations ;  and  figures  of  St.  Jerome,  St.  Augustine,  and  St. 
Ambrose,  by  Hamilton,  being  the  original  designs  for  the  stained 
glass  in  the  gallery  below  ;  these  are  so  placed  as  to  be  visible  from 
the  floor  of  the  octagon. 

The  Lancaster  gallery  has  a  vaulted  roof,  and  is  decorated  with  a 
number  of  scarce  prints.  The  carpeting  is  purple,  powdered  with 
flower-de-luces.  This  leads  to  the  dressing-room,  which,  through 
large  folding  doors,  opens  into  the  state  bed-chamber.  The  bed, 
which  is  of  crimson  damask  richly  fringed,  belonged  to  Mr.  Beckford's 
great-grandfather,  when  Governor  of  Jamaica.  This  room  is  fur- 
nished in  a  splendid  manner,  and  contains  several  valuable  pictures  ; 
among  them  is  a  whole-length  portrait  of  the  Regent  Murray ;  on 
one  side  is  a  picture  of  Michael  overcoming  the  Dragon,  and  on  the 
other  a  highly  finished  portrait  of  St.  Thomas-a-Becket.  The  ceiling 
is  in  the  purest  style  of  the  sixteenth  century ;  round  the  cornice  is  a 
richly  carved  and  painted  frieze,  composed  of  portculisses  and  the 
united  roses  of  York  and  Lancaster. 

We  now  ascend  the  staircase  that  leads  to  the  entrance  of  the 
great  tower,  and  come  to  the  suite  of  rooms  that  surrounds  the 
octagon.    There  are  two  bedrooms  and  two  dressing-rooms ;  the 


FONTHILL  ABBEY 


365 


dressing-room  towards  the  west  contains  a  curious  picture  by  Andrea 
Mantegna,  of  Christ  on  the  Mount,  his  three  Disciples  asleep  ;  a  very 
ancient  performance,  but  in  excellent  preservation.  Under  this  is  a 
Pieta  by  West.  On  the  opposite  side  is  the  Madonna,  surrounded  by 
cherubs  presenting  her  with  baskets  of  flowers  ;  the  figures  by  Van- 
Balen,  the  landscape  by  Breughel.  Under  this  is  the  Vision  of  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua,  receiving  into  his  arms  the  infant  Christ.  The 
opposite  dressing-room  is  hung  with  a  curious  grotesque  device, 
worked  with  velvet,  in  crimson  and  green,  upon  a  yellow  ground  of 
satin.  In  this  room  is  a  sumptuous  cabinet,  covered  with  a  great 
variety  of  designs  in  silver,  beautifully  chased ;  and  two  pictures 
from  the  Revelations  by  West.  The  two  bed-chambers  are  fur- 
nished in  a  stately  baronial  style.  Above  is  another  suite  of 
handsome  apartments  for  attendants,  each  lighted  by  a  catherine- 
wheel  window. 

A  staircase  now  winds  up  to  the  leads  of  the  circular  tower, 
whence  we  enter  the  upper  part  of  the  great  octagon  ;  ascending  by 
an  inclined  plane,  in  a  circular  direction,  we  reach  the  top  of  this 
lofty  structure,  which  is  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  in  height. 
The  view  here  is  of  vast  extent,  including  many  counties  in  its 
circumference  :  among  the  most  conspicuous  objects  discernible  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  glass,  is  Lord  ArundeFs  terrace,  adjoining  Wardour 
Castle  ;  this  is  a  fine  range  of  wood,  above  which  rise  the  bold,  green 
eminences  communicating  with  Salisbury  Plain.  Westward  appear 
the  grounds  at  Stourhead,  a  distant  prospect  into  Dorsetshire  and 
Somersetshire,  as  far  as  Glastonbury,  and  the  road  to  Shaftesbury 
winding  between  two  hills.  Among  other  picturesque  objects  is  a 
line  of  buildings  called  Castle-Town,  on  account  of  the  construction 
of  the  houses,  which  have  at  intervals  a  raised  work  like  a  tower  ;  the 
general  appearance  resembles  Ludlow  Castle,  in  Shropshire.  These 
houses  were  built  by  Mr.  Beckford  for  the  convenience  of  the  villagers 
whom  he  employs  ;  they  are  situated  without  the  grounds,  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  enclosure.  Farther  north  is  seen  Bradley  Knoll  and 
Bidcomb  Hill.  It  would  be  almost  endless  to  enumerate  the  interest- 
ing objects  that  are  visible  from  this  elevation :  some  conception, 
however,  may  be  formed,  when  it  is  known  that  the  tower  has  its  base 
upon  an  eminence  considerably  above  the  level  of  the  top  of  Salis- 
bury Spire ;  and  there  is  no  hill  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood 
of  sufficient  consequence  to  bound  the  commanding  height  of  its 
summit. 

Descending  through  the  octagon  on  the  north-east  side  of  the 
Abbey,  we  observe  a  tower,  containing  several  apartments.  The 


366 


APPENDIX 


upper  one  is  a  bed-chamber,  lined  with  hangings  of  blue,  strewed 
with  white  mullets,  the  original  arms  of  the  house  of  Douglas,  and 
drawn  together  in  the  form  of  a  tent.    Under  this  is  a  dressing- and 
bed-room,  in  both  of  which  the  furniture,  entirely  composed  of  solid 
ebony  and  the  rarest  woods,  is  remarkable  for  the  neatness  and  pre- 
cision of  the  carved  work.    Re-entering  the  octagon.  King  Edward 
the  Third's  gallery  presents  itself.    This  contains  seven  lofty  win- 
dows ;  opposite  to  them  are  portraits  of  Henry  the  Seventh,  Edward 
the  Fourth,  John  of  Gaunt,  the  Constable  Montmorency,  Alphonso 
King  of  Naples,  and  John  of  Montfort  Duke  of  Brittany.  Facing 
the  centre  window  is  a  fireplace  of  alabaster,  composed  of  an  arch 
resting  upon  columns,  with  vine-leaf  capitals.  Above  is  a  whole-length 
portrait  of  Edward  the  Third,  copied  by  Mr.  Matthew  Wyatt  from 
a  picture  in  the  vestry  of  St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor.    The  win- 
dows of  this  gallery  are  hung  with  curtains  of  purple  and  scarlet. 
Upon  a  sculptured  frieze  are  the  achievements  of  seventy-eight 
knights  of  the  most  noble  order  of  the  garter,  all  persons  of 
eminence  in  English  and  foreign  history,  and  from  whom  Mr.  Beck- 
ford  is  lineally  descended.    In  continuation  of  this  stately  apartment 
is  a  vaulted  gallery  wainscoted  with  oak  and  ribbed  with  deep  mould- 
ings, partly  gilt  and  partly  coloured ;  the  floor  is  entirely  covered 
with  a  Persian  carpet  of  the  most  extraordinary  size  and  beautiful 
texture.    This  gallery  receives  a  glimmering  light  through  six  per- 
forated bronze  doors,  modelled  after  those  of  Henry  the  Fifth's 
chantry  in  the  Abbey  of  Westminster.    These  doors  are  hung  with 
crimson  curtains,  which,  increasing  the  solemn  gloom,  aid  the  effect  of 
the  oratory  which  we  are  now  approaching. 

THE  ORATORY 

is  part  of  ani  octagon ;  the  roof,  which  is  entirely  gilt,  ter- 
minates at  each  angle  with  delicate  fan- work,  resting  upon  a  slender 
column.  From  the  centre  of  the  ceiling  is  suspended  a  golden  lamp, 
elaborately  chased.  The  altar  is  adorned  with  a  statue  of  St. 
Anthony,  admirably  executed  in  alabaster  by  Rossi.  On  each  side 
are  lofty  stands,  upon  which  are  placed  candelabra  of  massive  silver 
richly  gilt.  The  effect  of  this  solemn  recess  must  be  seen  to  be  con- 
ceived ;  nor  can  any  description  convey  an  idea  of  the  awful  sensations 
it  inspires. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


1780 

Biographical  Memoirs  j  of  |  Extraordinary  |  Painters.  |  — 
Aoyos  ea-Ti  yjtevdrjs  eLKovL^a>v  aXrjdeiav  |  Aphthonius  Progymnas.  Pr.  |  Lon- 
don :  Printed  for  J.  Robson,  New-Bond- Street.  |  mdcclxxx. 

8vo,  pp.  iv-158. 

1783 

Dreams  |  Waking  Thoughts  |  and  |  Incidents  ;  |  In  a  |  Series  of 
Letters  |  from  |  Various  Parts  of  Europe.  |  London :  |  Printed  for 
J.  Johnson,  St.  Paul's  Church  Yard.  |  m.dcc.lxxxiii. 

4to,  pp.  xv-334.    With  a  Frontispiece  by  G.  B.  Cipriani. 

1786 

An  I  Arabian    Tale.  |  From  an  |  unpublished  Manuscript:  | 
With  I  Notes  |  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  London :  Printed  for  J. 
Johnson,  in  St.  Paul's  Church-Yard  |  and  entered  at  Stationers*' 
Hall.  I  mdcclxxxvi. 

The  half-title  runs :  The  History  of  the  Caliph  Vathek. 

ISmo,  pp.  vii-334.  The  translation  was  made  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Henley,  who  composed  the  Notes.  Henley's  Preface  i& 
printed  in  this  work,  p.  139. 

1787 

Vathek  |  (Vignette)  |  A  Lausanne.  |  Chez  Isaac  Hegnon  et 
Compe.  I  M.Dcc.Lxxvii. 

8vo,  pp.  iv-204.    The  Preface  is  printed  in  this  work,  p.  140. 

Vathek,  |  Conte  |  Arabe.  |  (Vignette.)  |  A  Paris.  |  Chez 
Poin9ot,  Libraire,  rue  de  la  Harpe,  |  pres  Saint-Come,  No.  135.  |  1787. 

16mo,  pp.  190.  A  revised  edition,  with  some  of  Henley's  Notes 
translated  into  French,  probably  by  Beckford.  There  is  no  Preface  to 
this  edition. 

367 


/ 

368  APPENDIX 


1796 

Modern  Novel  Writing,  |  or  the  |  Elegant  Enthusiast;  |  and  | 
Interesting  Emotions  |  of  |  Arabella  Bloomville.  |  A  Rhapsodical 
Romance ;  |  interspersed  with  |  Poetry.  |  In  two  volumes.  |  Vol.  I.  | 
(Vol.  II.)  I  By  the  Right  Hon.  |  Lady  Harriet  Marlow.  |  I  nod  in 
company,  I  wake  at  night,  |  Fools  rush  into  my  head,  and  so  I  write.  | 
Pope.  I  London :  Printed  by  G.  C.  and  J.  Robinson.  |  mdccxcvi. 

24mo,  vol.  i.  pp.  v-243 ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  iv-232. 

1797 

Azemia,  a  Descriptive  and  Sentimental  Novel,  interspersed  with 
Pieces  of  Poetry.  By  Jacquetta  Agneta  Mariana  Jenks,  of  Belle- 
grave  Priory,  in  W^ales.  Dedicated  to  the  Right  Hon.  Harriet 
Marlow ;  to  which  are  added,  Criticisms  Anticipated.  S  vols. 
London,  printed  by  and  for  Sampson  Low,  7,  Berwick  Street,  Soho, 
1797. 

The  letterpress  of  the  title-page  of  this  work  has  been  copied  from 
Redding's  "  Memoirs  of  William  Beckford,"  as  the  compiler  of  the 
Bibliography  has  been  unable  to  trace  any  copy  of  the  first  edition  of 
"  Azemia." 

1798 

Azemia,  |  A  Novel :  |  containing  |  imitations  of  the  manner,  both 
in  prose  and  |  verse,  of  many  of  the  Authors  of  the  present  day;  | 
with  Political  Strictures.  |  By  |  J.  A.  M.  Jenks.  |  In  two  volumes. — 
Vol.  I.  I  The  second  Edition.  |  No  flimsy  gauze  and  frippery  scenes.  I 
wrote,  I  With  patches  here  and  there  like  J oseph's  coat.  |  Churchill.  | 
(Vol.  II.  I  Fair  views  and  beautious  prospects  I  invent,  |  Pines, 
poplars,  ruins,  rocks,  and  sentiment ;  |  Fond  lovers  sigh  beneath  my 
vines  and  larches,  |  While  ghosts  glide  grimly  grave  through  glimmer- 
ing arches.)  |  London  :  |  Printed  by  and  for  |  Sampson  Low,  No.  7, 
Berwick  Street,  Soho.  |  1798. 

16mo ;  vol.  i.  pp.  xxxix-254! ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  253. 

1799 

The  Story  |  of  |  Al  Raoui.  |  A  Tale  |  from  the  Arabic.  | 
Second  Edition.  |  London :  |  Printed  by  C.  Whittingham,  Dean 
Street,  Fetter  Lane ;  |  for  C.  Geisweiler,  Pall  Mall ;  |  sold  also  by 
G.  C.  and  J.  Robinson,  and  H.  D.  Symonds,  |  Paternoster-Row ;  J. 
Richardson,  Royal  Exchange;  |  G.  C.  Keil,  Magdeburg;  B.  G. 
Hoffman,  |  Hamburg;  G.  J.  Goeschen,  and  |  J.  G.  Beygang, 
Leipzig.  I  1799. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


369 


8vo.,  pp.  59.  Contains  the  Translator's  Dedication  to  Mrs.  Cuthbert, 
a  Preface,  a  German  version  of  the  story  (presumedly  also  by  Beck- 
ford),  and  the  poems,  "  By  the  Side  of  the  Stream,"  "  Conjugal  Love  : 
An  Elegy  " ;  and  "  Written  in  the  Close  of  Westminster," 

The  Dedication  to  Mrs.  Cuthbert  runs  : 

My  dear  Madam, 

It  is  usual  with  the  Easterns  to  retain  an  Attendant,  for  the 
sake  of  amusing  them  with  ingenious  recitals,  and  Al  Raoui,  or.  The 
Talebearer,  is  the  title  they  give  him.  If  this  story  of  the  Emir's, 
an  adept  in  his  art,  can  afford  you  any  amusement,  it  will  be  highly 
gratifying  to  The  Translator. 

The  Preface  runs : 

In  the  Preface  to  The  History  of  Vathek,  a  collection  of  Tales 
is  mentioned,  of  which  this  story  is  one.  It  was  translated  above 
sixteen  years  since,  and  still  would  have  remained  in  oblivion,  but  for 
notices  of  a  manuscript  possessed  by  Captain  Scott,  which  occur  in 
Major  Ouseley's  very  curious  collections.  The  contents  of  a  Tale,  as 
there  expressed,  suggested  the  persuasion  of  its  identity  with  this  ; 
or,  at  least,  of  its  being  very  similar  to  it:  for,  of  The  Arabian 
Nights,  it  deserves  to  be  remarked,  that  no  two  transcripts  are  found 
to  be  the  same.  Indeed,  it  would  be  strange  if  they  were ;  for  setting 
aside  design  in  the  person  reciting  them,  each  Tale  in  recital  must, 
more  or  less,  vary. 

If  Captain  Scott,  who  is  pre-eminently  qualified  to  render  them 
lustice,  could  be  induced  to  translate  his  own  collection,  it  is  im- 
possible to  say  how  great  an  obligation  he,  by  it,  would  confer  on  the 
public. 

Mr.  Browne,  in  his  Travels  in  Africa,  Egypt  and  Asia,  just  pub- 
lished, mentions  a  circumstance  which,  as  illustrating  a  remark  in  the 
following  story,  is  for  that  reason  subjoined. 

"  When  a  firman,  or  mandate,  is  received  in  Egypt  from  Con- 
stantinople, the  beys  are  summoned  to  the  castle  to  hear  the  com- 
mands of  the  Porte.  Those  who  attend,  as  soon  as  the  reading  is 
finished,  answer,  as  usual,  Esmana  wa  tadna — we  have  heard,  and  we 
obey." 

Since  the  foregoing  Preface  was  sent  to  the  press,  it  was  found 
that  Captain  Scott  has  undertaken  the  translation  of  the  manuscript, 
and  that  the  original  Arabic  of  this  tale  will  be  inserted  from  it  in 
Major  Ouseley's  collections. 


2  A 


870 


APPENDIX 


1809 

An  I  Arabian    Tale  |  from  |  An    Unpublished  Manuscript ;  | 
with  I  Notes  |  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  A  New  Edition.  |  London 
I  Printed  for  W.  Clarke,  New  Bond  Street.  |  mdcccix. 
Half-title  page  : 

The  I  History  |  of  the  |  Caliph  Vathek,  |  with  |  Notes. 
16mo,  pp.  vii-334. 

1815 

Vathek  |  (Vignette.)  |  A  Londres  |  Chez  Clarke,  New  Bond 
Street.  |  1815. 

16mo,  pp.  iv-S18.  With  a  Frontispiece,  and  the  following 
Preface  : 

Les  editions  de  Paris  et  de  Lausanne,  etant  devenu  extremement 
rares,  j'ai  consenti  enfin  a  ce  que  Ton  republiat  a  Londres  ce  petit 
ouvrage  tel  que  je  Tai  compose. 

La  traduction,  comme  on  s^ait,  a  paru  avant  Foriginal ;  il  est 
fort  aise  de  croire  que  ce  n'etoit  pas  mon  intention — des  circonstances, 
peu  interessantes  pour  le  public,  en  ont  ete  la  cause.  J'ai  prepare 
quelques  Episodes ;  ils  sont  indiques,  a  la  page  SCO,  comme  faisant 
suite  a  Vathek — peut-etre  paroitront-ils  un  jour. 

W.  Beckford. 

1  Juin,  1815. 

1823 

Vathek  |  Translated  |  from  |  the  original  French  |  Fourth  Edi- 
tion, I  revised  and  corrected.  |  London  :  |  Printed  for  W.  Clarke,  New 
Bond  Street.  |  mdcccxxiii. 

16mo,  pp.  iv-284.  VV^ith  a  Frontispiece  by  R.  W^estall,  R.A. 

1824 

Biographical  Memoirs  ]  of  |  Extraordinary  |  Painters.  (  — Aoyos 
eari  ^lr€vbrjs  iiKovi^oiv  dXrjBeiap  |  Aphthonius  Progymuas.    Pr.  |  A  New 
Edition.  |  London :  |  William  Clarke,  New- Bond-Street.  |  1824. 
ISmo,  pp.  iv-150.    With  Frontispiece. 

1834 

Vathek  :  |  An  Arabian  Tale.  |  By  |  William  Beckford,  Esq.  | 
With  Notes,  |  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  London  :  |  Richard  Bent- 
ley,  8,  New  Burlington  Street  |  (Successor  to  Henry  Colburn) :  |  Bell 
and  Bradfute,  Edinburgh :  |  Camming,  Dublin ;  and  |  Galignani, 
Paris.  I  1834. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


371 


With  a  Frontispiece  and  Vignette  for  half-title  page,  by  E 
Pickering. 

"  Bentley's  Standard  Novels,"  No.  LXI.  "  Vathek is  pp.  1  -118  of 
this  volume,  which  contains  also  "  The  Castle  of  Otranto  "  and  "  The 
Bravo  of  Venice." 

Italy;  |  with  Sketches  of  |  Spain  and  Portugal.  |  By  the 
Author  of  "  Vathek."  |  In  two  volumes.  |  Vol.  1.  |  [Vol.  II.]  London: 
Richard  Bentley,  New  Burlington  Street.  |  Publisher  in  Ordinary  to 
His  Majesty.  |  1834. 

8vo ;  vol.  i.  pp.  xvi-371  ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  xv-381.  With  the  follow- 
ing   Advertisement "  by  the  Author  : 

Some  justly  admired  Authors  having  condescended  to  glean  a  few 
stray  thoughts  from  these  Letters,  which  have  remained  dormant  a 
great  many  years  ;  I  have  been  at  length  emboldened  to  lay  them 
before  the  public.  Perhaps,  as  they  happen  to  contain  passages 
which  persons  of  acknowledged  taste  have  honoured  with  their  notice, 
they  may  possibly  be  less  unworthy  of  emerging  from  the  shade  into 
daylight  than  I  imagined. 

Most  of  these  Letters  were  written  in  the  bloom  and  heyday  of 
youthful  spirits  and  youthful  confidence,  at  a  period  when  the  old 
order  of  things  existed  with  all  its  picturesque  pomps  and  absurdities  ; 
when  Venice  enjoyed  the  piombi  and  submarine  dungeons  ;  France  her 
bastile ;  the  Peninsula  her  holy  Inquisition.  To  look  back  upon  what 
is  beginning  to  appear  almost  a  fabulous  era  in  the  eyes  of  the  modern 
children  of  light,  is  not  unamusing  or  uninstructive  ;  for,  still  better 
to  appreciate  the  present,  we  should  be  led  not  infrequently  to  recall 
the  intellectual  muzziness  of  the  past. 

But  happily  these  pages  are  not  crowded  with  such  records  :  they 
are  chiefly  filled  with  delineations  of  landscape  and  those  effects  of 
natural  phenomena  which  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  revolutions  or 
constitutions  to  alter  or  destroy. 

A  few  moments  snatched  from  the  contemplation  of  political 
crimes,  bloodshed,  and  treachery,  are  a  few  moments  gained  to  all 
lovers  of  innocent  illusion.  Nor  need  the  statesman  or  the  scholar 
despise  the  occasional  relaxation  of  light  reading.  When  Jupiter 
and  the  great  deities  are  represented  by  Homer  as  retiring  from 
scenes  of  havoc  and  carnage  to  visit  the  blameless  and  quiet  Ethio- 
pians, who  were  the  farthest  removed  of  all  nations,  the  Lord  knows 
whither,  at  the  very  extremities  of  the  ocean, — would  they  have  given 
ear  to  manifestos  or  protocols  ?  No,  they  would  much  rather  have 
listened  to  the  Tales  of  Mother  Goose. 

London,  June  12th,  1834. 

Italy,  |  with  Sketches  of  |  Spain  and  Portugal.  |  By  |  William 
Beckford,  Esq.  |  Paris.  |  Baudry's  European  Library,  |  Rue  du  Coq, 
near  the  Louvre.  |  Sold  also  by  Amyot,  Rue  de  la  Paix ;  Truchy,  Boule- 
vard des  Italiens  ;  |  Theophile  Barrois,  jun.  Rue  Richelieu;  Librairie 


372 


APPENDIX 


des  Etrangers,  |  Rue  Neuve-Saint-Augustin  ;  and  French  and  English 
Library,  |  Rue  Vivienne.  |  1834 : 
16mo,  pp.  vi-338. 

Biographical  Memoirs  |  of  |  Extraordinary  |  Painters  |  — Ao'yor 
eVri  yjAevdrjs  iiKovtCcov  dXrjdeiav  |  Aphthonius  Progymnas.  Pr.  I  By  the 
Author  of  "  Vathek."  |  A  new  edition.  |  London :  Richard  Bentley, 
New  Burlington  Street.  |  1834. 

12  mo,  pp.  iv-150.  With  a  Frontispiece. 

1835 

Recollections  |  of  an  |  Excursion  to  the   Monasteries  |  of 
Alcobaca  and  Batalha.  I  By  the  Author  of  "  Vathek."  )  London  :  | 
Richard  Bentley,  New  Burlington  Street,  |  Publisher  in  Ordinary  to 
His  Majesty.  |  1835. 

16mo,  pp.  xi-228.    With  a  Portrait.    The  Advertisement  runs  . 

The  other  day,  in  examining  some  papers,  I  met  with  very  slight 
notes  of  this  Excursion.  Flattering  myself  that,  perhaps,  they  might 
not  be  totally  unworthy  of  expansion,  I  invoked  the  powers  of 
memory — and  behold,  up  rose  the  whole  series  of  recollections  I  am 
now  submitting  to  that  indulgent  Public,  which  has  shown  more 
favour  to  my  former  sketches  than  they  merited. 

London,  June  1835. 

1840 

Italy,  |  Spain,  and  Portugal,  |  with  an  |  Excursion  to  the 
Monasteries  |  of  |  Alcoba9a  and  Batalha.  |  By  the  Author  of 
"  Vathek."  |  A  new  edition.  |  London :  |  Richard  Bentley,  New 
Burlington  Street.  |  1840. 

"  Bentley's  Standard  Library  of  Popular  Modern  Literature." 

16mo,  pp.  xxiv-440.  With  a  Portrait,  and  the  "  Advertise- 
ment" by  Beckford,  dated;  "  London,  June  12th,  1834." 

POSTHUMOUS 
1849 

Vathek  ;  |  An  Arabian  Tale.  |  By  |  William  Beckford,  Esq.  | 
With  I  Notes,  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  London  :  |  George  Slater? 
252,  Strand.  |  1849. 
,  16mo,  pp.  xv-vi-160.    With  a  Memoir  by  William  North. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


373 


1852 

Vathek  :  I  An  Arabian  Tale.  |  By  William  Beckford,  Esq.  | 
With  I  Notes,  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  London  :  |  H.  G.  Bohn, 
York  Street,  Covent  Garden.  |  1852. 

24mo,  pp.  xvi-160.  With  a  Memoir  by  William  North.  "  The 
Amber  Witch  "  is  bound  up  with  "  Vathek." 

1856 

Vathek  :  |  An  Arabian  Tale.  |  By  |  William  Beckford,  Esq.  | 
With   Notes,  |  Critical  and  Explanatory.  |  London  :  |  Ward-Lock, 
158,  Fleet  Street.  |  1856. 

16mo,  pp.  150. 

1868 

The  History  of  |  the  Caliph  Vathek  |  By  |  William  Beckford, 
Esq.  I  Printed  verbatim  from  first  edition,  with  the  |  original 
prefaces  and  notes  |  by  Henley  |  London  :  |  Sampson  Low,  Son,  and 
Marston,  |  Crown  Buildings,  188,  Fleet  Street.  |  1868. 

16mo,  pp.  x-189.    With  an  Introduction. 

1876 

Le  I  Vathek  |  de  |  Beckford  |  Reimprime  sur  TEdition  fran^aise 
originale  |  avec  Preface  par  |  Stephane  Mallarme  |  Paris  |  Adolphe 
Labitte  |  Libraire  de  la  Bibliotheque  Nationale  |  m  dccc  lxxvi 

16mo,  pp.  xiv-193. 

1882 

William  Beckford  |  The  History  |  of  the  |  Caliph  Vathek  | 
By  William  Beckford,  Esq.  |  With  Preface  and  Notes,  Critical  and 
Explanatory  |  Also  |  Rasselas  |  Prince  of  Abyssinia  |  By  Samuel 
Johnson,  LL.D.  |  With  Four  Etchings  and  Portrait  of  Beckford  by 
A.  N.  Tounier  |  Etched  by  Dam  man  |  London :  |  J.  C.  Nimmo  and 
Bain  |  14,  King  WilHam  Street,  Strand,  W.C.  |  1882. 

16mo,  pp.  xx-407. 

1887 

The  History  |  of  the  |  Caliph  Vathek.  |  By  |  William  Beck- 
ford. I  Cassell  and  Company,  Limited :  |  London,  Paris,  New  York, 
and  Melbourne.  |  1887. 

"  CasselFs  National  Library."  With  an  Introduction  by  Henry 
Morley. 

32mo,  pp.  192. 


374 


APPENDIX 


1891 

The  History  of  the  Caliph  |  Vathek  ;  |  and  |  European 
Travels.  |  By  |  William  Beckford.  |  With  a  Portrait,  full-page 
illustrations,  and  |  biographical  introduction.  |  Ward,  Lock  and 
Co.,  I  London,  New  York,  and  Melbourne.  |  1891. 

16mo,  pp.  xxiv-54)9.  With  a  Portrait  of  the  Author  by 
Reynolds.  "The  Minerva  Library  of  Famous  Books,^'  edited  by 
G.  T.  Bettany. 

Contains  "  Vathek,"  "  Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts,  and  Incidents,"' 
"  An  Excursion  to  the  Grand  Chartreuse,*"  "  Portugal,"  "  Spain,*"  and 
"  Alcoba9a  and  Batalha." 

Vathek  :   An  Arabian  |  Tale.     By   William   Beck-  |  ford. 
Edited  by  Richard  Garnett,  LL.D.   With  Notes  |  by  Samuel  Henley, 
and  I  Etchings  by  Herbert  Nye.  |  London  |  Lawrence  and  Bullen,  | 
16,  Henrietta  Street,  Covent  Garden,  W.C.  |  1893. 

16mo,  pp.  xxxii-253.    Reprinted  1900. 

Beckford  |  Vathek  |  Reimprime  sur  Toriginal  franc^iais  |  avec  la 
preface  de  |  Stephane  Mallarme  |  Paris  |  Librairie  Academique 
Didier  |  Perrin  et  C'^,  Libraires-^diteurs  |  35,  Quai  des  Grands- 
Augustins,  35  |  1893  |  Tous  droits  reserves. 

16mo,  pp.  xlvii-207. 

1893 

The  History  of  the  |  Caliph  |  Vathek  |  An  Eastern  Romance  | 
By  I  William  Beckford  |  Edited  with  an  Introduction  |  by  |  Justin 
Hannaford  |  Illustrated  by  |  W.  S.  Rogers  |  London  |  Greening  and 
Co.,  Ltd.  I  20,  Cecil  Court,  Charing  Cross  Road  |  1900. 

16mo,  pp.  vi-272. 

1901 

The  History  of  |  the  Caliph  |  Vathek  |  By  |  William  Beck- 
ford, Esq.  I  With  an  Introduction  and  Notes  |  by  E.  Denison 
Ross  |  With  a  Portrait  from  a  Painting  |  By  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  | 
London  |  Methuen  and  Co.  |  30,  Essex  Street,  W.C.  |  mdcccci. 

16mo,  pp.  xxxi-149.     "  Methuen's  Little  Library." 


AUTHORITIES 


Anonymous  :  "  Conversations  with  the  late  W.  Beckford,  Esq." 
Contributed  by  Various  Friends.  {New  Monthly  Magazine^  Septem- 
ber, October,  November,  December,  1844 ;  vol.  Ixxii.  pp.  18-24, 
S12-21,  418  27,  516-22.)  The  first  three  articles  are  signed  "  H.," 
the  last  "  W.  H.  H." 

Anonymous  :  "  Mr.  Beckford  and  Fonthill."  (Chambers  s  Journal, 
August  17,  1844  ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  101-3.) 

Anonymous  :  "  William  Beckford."  (Gentleman'' s  Magazine , 
August  1844;  vol.  xxxii.  n.s.,  pp.  209-13.) 

Anonymous  :  "  William  Beckford,  Esq.,  of  Fonthill."  (European 
Magazine,  September,  1797  ;  vol.  xxxii.  pp.  147-50.) 

Beaconsfield,  Loud  :  "  Letters,  1830-1852."  Edited  by  his 
Brother.  1887. 

[Beckford,  William]  :  Account  of  his  Library."  (Clarke's 
"  Repertorium  Bibliographicum,"  1819,  vol.  i.  pp.  203-30.) 

Berry,  Mary  :  "  Extract  from  her  Journals  and  Correspondence," 
1783-1852.    Edited  by  Lady  Theresa  Lewis.    3  vols.  1865. 

Beitany,  G.  T.  :  Introduction  to  "  Vathek  "  and  "  European 
Travels."    (Minerva  Library.)  1891. 

Britton,  John  :  "  The  Beauties  of  Wiltshire."  4  vols.  1801- 
1825. 

Britton,  John:  "Graphic  and  Literary  Illustrations  ofFonthill 
Abbey."  1825. 

Burke,  John  :  "  History  of  the  Commoners  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland."    3  vols.  1833. 

Byron,  Lord  :  "  Works  and  Letters."    13  vols.  1898-1904. 

Delany,  Mrs.  :  "  Autobiography  and  Correspondence."  Edited 
by  Lady  Llanover.    6  vols.  1861-1862. 

Frith,  W.  P. :  "  My  Autobiography  and  Reminiscences."  2  vols. 
1887. 

Fyvie,  John  :  "  Literary  Eccentrics."  1906. 

375 


376 


APPENDIX 


Garnett,  Richard  :  "  William  Beckford."  (Dictionary  of  National 
Biography.) 

Garnett,  Richard  :  Introduction  to  "  Vathek.'"    (Ed.  1893.) 

Gregory,  William  :  "  The  Beckford  Family.  Reminiscences  of 
Fon thill  Abbey  and  Lansdown  Tower.*"  Compiled  from  various 
sources.    Second  Edition.    Bath,  1898. 

Hazlitt,  William:  "Collected  Works."  Edited  by  A.  R. 
Waller  and  Arnold  Glover.    13  vols.  1902-1906. 

(Lansdown,  )  :  "  Recollections  of  the  late  William  Beckford, 

of  Fonthill,  Wilts,  and  Lansdown,  Bath.  Edited  by  his  daughter 
Charlotte."    Bath,  1893. 

Lockhart,  J.  G.  :  Review  of  "  Italy  ;  with  sketches  of  Spain  and 
Portugal."    {Quarterly  Review,  June  1834  ;  vol.  li.  pp.  426-56.) 

Mallarme,  Stephane  :  Introduction  to  Vathek."  (Ed.  Paris, 
1874.) 

Mayer,  Mrs.  G.  Townshend  :  "  The  Sultan  of  Lansdown  Tower.'' 
{Temple  Bar,  June  1900  ;  vol.  ex.  pp.  182-212.) 

Moore,  Thomas  :  "  Life  of  Lord  Byron."  1844. 

Pettigrew,  T.  J. :  "  Memoirs  of  Lord  Nelson."  Second  Edition. 
2  vols.  1849. 

Puckler-Muskau,  Prince  :  "  Tour  in  England,  Ireland,  and 
France,  1828-9."    2  vols.  1832. 

Redding,  Cyrus  :  "  Memoirs  of  William  Beckford,  of  Fonthill ; 
Author  of 'Vathek.'"    2  vols.  1859. 

Redding,  Cyrus  :  "  Recollections  of  the  Author  of  '  Vathek.' " 
{New  Monthly  Magazine^  June,  July,  1844  ;  vol.  Ixxi.  pp.  143-58. 
302-19.) 

Ross,  E.  Denison  :  Introduction  to  "  Vathek."    (Ed.  1901.) 
Russell,  Lord  John  :  "  Memoirs  of  Thomas  Moore."    8  vols. 
1856. 

Rutter,  John  "Delineations  of  Fonthill  and  its  Abbey." 
1823. 

Sichel,  Walter  :  "  Emma,  Lady  Hamilton."  Third  Edition, 
1907. 

Storer,  James  :  "  A  Description  of  Fonthill  Abbey,  Wiltshire." 
Illustrated  by  Views.  1812. 

Tiffany,  O.  :  "  William  Beckford."  {North  American  Review, 
April  1860;  vol.  xc.  pp.  297-321.) 

Whibley,  Charles  :  "  The  Pageantry  of  Life."  1900. 


INDEX 


Abercorn  branch  of  the  Hamilton 

family,  20 
Abercorn,  James,  6th  Earl  of,  9 
Aboyne,  Charles,  4th  Earl  of,  l66 
Addington,  Henry,  264 
Addison,  Joseph,  143 
Agnosticism,    Beckford's  leaning 

towards,  276-78 
Agrippino,  tomb  of,  121 
Aikin,  Lucy,  "  Memoirs  of  the  Court 

of  James  I.,*'  Beckford's  note  on, 

273 

Aix  en  Savoy,  letters  written  from, 

51-53 

Alcoba9a,  monastery  of,  181 

Alembert,  d',  31 

Alen9on,  Due  d',  portrait,  360 

Alfred's  Tower,  Fonthill,  356 

Allen,  Major,  253 

Allen,  Ralph,  322 

Alphonso,  King,  portrait,  366 

Altieri  Collection,  the  Claudes  in, 

259,  294 
Alzarotti,  155 
Amara,  Mountains  of,  63 
America,  46-47 
American  War,  the,  23,  24 
Amman,  295 
Amsterdam,  90 

Ancaster  and  Kesteven,  Duke  of, 

8  note 
Andes,  the,  92 
Andray,  painter,  312 
Angelica,  163 
Angelo,  Michael,  295 
AnspachjMargravine  of.  See  Craven, 

Lady 
Anspack,  178 

Anthony,  St.,  shrine  in  Padua,  152, 


153,  154,  155,  156;  Beckford's 
devotion  to,  178,  214,  215,  239, 
249,  256,  358,  366 
Antwerp,  48,  90 

"  Arabian  Nights,  The,"  Beckford's 

enthusiasm  for,  20-21,  125,  129- 

30,  131,  142 
Ariosto,  43,  44,  48,  49,  50 
Arran,  the  Regent,  287 
Arundel,  260,  267 
Arve,  the,  29,  52 
Ashley,  Elizabeth,  8  Tiote 
Ashley,  Solomon,  8  note 
Astronomy,  Beckford's  ignorance 

of,  19 
Athenceum,  the,  336 
Atlas,  Mount,  62,  79,  85 
Augsburg,  91,  120,  150;  letters 

from,  99-100,  150-52 
Auguste,  picture-dealer,  197,  198, 

201,  248 
Aviz,  Grand  Prior  of,  181 

Baije,  121 

Ballard,  Anne,  7 

Banti,  singer,  235 

Barbarini  Garden,  the,  Rome,  157 

Barlow,  Hugh,  94  note 

Barlow,  Miss,  See  Hamilton,  Lady 

Barnard's  Stanier,  300 

Bartlemy,  Albert,  208 

Bartolozzi,  296 

Bastille,  fall  of  the,  178 

Batalha,  monastery  of,  181,  363 

Bath,  Beckford's  residence  in,  2, 
292-93, 325 ;  the  Assembly  Rooms, 
l66 ;  Beckford  and  the  authori- 
ties of,  323;  Beckford  and  the 
aristocracy  of,  326;  Beckford's 
7  2b 


378 


INDEX 


generosity  to  the  poor  of,  350- 
51 

Bath  Abbey  Cemetery,  349 
Bath  Abbey  Church,  325 
Bath,  Lord,  239 

Baudry,  European  Library  of.  Beck- 
ford's  "Italy"  in,  332 

Baumgarten,  bookbinder,  289 

Baynal  Park,  184 

Beacon,  the,  Fonthill,  356* 

Beckford,  near  Tewkesbury,  6 

Beckford,  Alderman,  career  of,  8 
and  note-lO;  mayoralty,  10-12  ; 
political  toasts,  11  ;  his  speech 
before  George  III.,  11  ;  Lord 
Chatham's  letter,  11-12;  his 
statue  in  the  Guildhall,  12 ; 
death,  12,  14  ;  letter  to  William 
Pitt  regarding  his  son's  christen- 
ing, 13-14  ;  George  III.  and,  87 ; 
reputation  of,  185;  purchase  of 
Fonthill,  213  ;  diplomatic  efforts, 
252-53;  statue  of, in  Fonthill,  364 

Beckford,  Alexander  de,  6 

Beckford,  Anne,  8  note 

Beckford,  Ballard,  7 

Beckford,  Bathshua,  8  note 

Beckford,  Charles,  7 

Beckford,  Colonel  Peter,  7,  8 

Beckford,  Edward,  7 

Beckford,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Peter,  7 ;  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  the  Hon.  Peter.  See 
Effingham,  Lady 

Beckford,  Francis,  8  note 

Beckford,  George,  8  note 

Beckford,  Hon.  Peter,  7;  children 
of,  8  and  notes 

Beckford,  Julines,  8  note 

Beckford,  Margaret  Maria  Eliza- 
beth.   See  Orde,  Mrs.  James 

Beckford,  Mrs.,  relations  with  her 
son,  20-22;  recalls  her  son  to 
England,  59 ;  celebration  of  his 
coming  of  age,  ll6 ;  approves  of 
the  third  tour,  149  ;  letters  from 
her  son,  221-23,  241  ;  otherwise 
mentioned,  9,  14,  69,  70 

Beckford,  Mrs.  Peter,  letters  to, 
from  Beckford,  78,90-91,  101-2, 
105,150-51, 158-60,  l6l,  164-65, 
168-71;  otherwise  mentioned,  8 
note,  78,  89,  93-94,  108, 123,  l65 


Beckford,  Nathaniel,  8  note 
Beckford,  Peter,  great  grandfather 
of  William,  7,  359,  364 ;  Peter, 
son  of  the  Hon.  Peter,  8  ;  Peter, 
grandson  of  the  Hon.  Peter,  8 
note ;  "  Familiar  Letters  from 
Italy,"  Beckford's  comment  on, 
273 

Beckford,  Phillis,  8  note 

Beckford,  Priscilla,  7 

Beckford,  Richard,  7,  8  note 

Beckford,  Sir  William,  6 

Beckford,  Susan  Euphemia.  See 
Hamilton,  Duchess  of 

Beckford,  Thomas,  son  of  Colonel 
Peter,  7;  Thomas,  the  cloth- 
worker,  7 ;  Thomas,  son  of  the 
Hon.  Peter,  8  note 

Beckford  Town,  Jamaica,  7 

Beckford,  William,  Works : 

"Al  Raoui,"  translation  of,  327 
^fAlcoba9a  and   Batalha,"  181, 

328,  332 
^^Azemia,"  22,  184,  327 
Beckfordiana,"  some  examples, 
272-74 

Biographical  Memoirs  of  Extra- 
ordinary Painters,"  59,  67- 
75,  184, 326 ;  a  reprint,  328 ; 
Bentley's  publication,  332 

Dreams,  Waking  Thoughts  and 
Incidents,"  27;  description 
of  Lady  Hamilton,  94-95  ; 
nature  of  the  book,  106 ;  the 
completion  and  suppression 
of,  109-11 ;  revised  version, 
326,  328 
"  Elegant  Enthusiast,  The,"  182, 
326-27 

"Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal," 
328,  330,  332 ;  Talleyrand's 
title  for,  333 ;  critics,  334  : 
reception  in  Paris,  340 
"Liber  Veritatis,"  281,  327 
"  Three  Mountains,"  336 
"Unpublished  Works  and  Let- 
ters," 327-28 
"  Vathek,"  the  touch  of  astrology 
in,  19;  the  Oriental  influence 
in,  21,  28-9,  142;  history  of 
the  composition,  124  ;  Beck- 
ford's  correspondence  with 
the    Rev.  Samuel  Henley 


INDEX 


379 


concerning,  126;  Henley's 
translation,  127;  publica- 
tions postponed,  1 34-37  ; 
Henley  publishes  his  trans- 
lation, 1 37-39  ;  his  preface, 
139-40;  Stephen  Weston  in 
the  Gentleman  s  Magazine, 
140;  published  in  the  original 
French,  140-42;  the  Hall 
of  Eblis,  142-43 ;  types  in, 
142;  combination  of  quali- 
ties in,  142-43  ;  the  Caliph, 
143;  Hazlitt's  attack  on, 
319-20;  new  editions,  328  ; 
proposed  introduction  into 
the  Standard  Novels,  328, 
330;  the  reviewers,  334; 
Beckford's  remarks  concern- 
ing Disraeli  and,  336-38  ; 
reception  in  Paris,  340.  The 
Episodes  to  "Vathek,"  134, 
137,  144,  327,  328,  330,331, 
340 
Yao,  327 
Bedford,  bookbinder,  289 
Bedford,  Duchess  of,  letter  from 

Beckford,  118 
Bedford,  Duke  of,  118  and  note,  141, 

304  note 
Bedford  election  (1779),  68 
Beeston  (?),  Bridget,  7 
Bekeford,  Robert  de,  6 
Bellini's  Portrait  of  the  Doge  of 

Venice,  294,  348  and  note 
Beltz,  George  Frederick,  225  and 

note,  238,  257,  260,  26l,  279 
Bentley,  Richard,  his  proposal  re- 
garding ^^Vathek,"  328,  330; 
and  Beckford's  Letters,"  329; 
publisher  to  Beckford,  332,  333, 
334,  341 ;  otherwise  mentioned, 1^5, 
310 

Bergerac,  Cyrano  de,  88 
Berkeley,  Bishop,  88 
Bernini,  360 

Berry,  Mary,  180  note,  296 
Bertie,  Lady  Albinia,  8  note 
Bertoni,  musician,  155 
Bettany,  G.  T.,  reprints  of  Beck- 
ford's works,  110  note 
Bible,  the  Wendelin,  309 
Bidcomb  Hill,  365 
Birmingham,  67 


Bitham  Wood,  356 

Blake,  William,  296 

Blanc,  Mont,  l64,  l67 

Blessington,  Countess  of,  332-33 

Bobbio,  woods  of,  93 

Boccage,  Mme.  du,  178 

Bohemia,  the  Queen  of,  362 

Bohn,  Henry  George,  letters  from 
Beckford  regarding  sales  and 
catalogues,  291,  300-313;  buys 
for  Beckford,  296,  299,  301  note 

Bohn,  Henry  Martin,  Beckford's 
anger  against,  296-97;  death, 
298 

Bologna,  91 

Bolswert,  painter,  312 

Bonn,  91 

Bonnet,  Charles,  26 
Bonzes,  Convents  of,  43 
Bookbinders,  289 

Books — the  library  at  Fonthill,  255 ; 
Beckford's  love  for,  271-76,  289, 
291-92;  his  trouble  with  book- 
binders, 290-91 ;  dispersal  of  the 
library,  291,  345;  Beckford's 
knowledge  of  the  value  of  books 
and  prints,  292;  Beckford  as  a 
collector,  299-311 

Borghese,  Princess,  26 

Boscawen,  the  Hon.  Mrs.,  on  Font- 
hill,  quoted,  213-14 

Bouillon  Collection,  the,  248-49 

Bourbon,  Cardinal  de,  289 

Bourdon,  Sebastian,  312 

Bouzerian,  bookbinder,  289 

Bowyer,  R.,  letter  from  Beckford, 
251-52 

Boyer,  bookbinder,  289 

Bradley  Knoll,  365 

Brantome,  301  and  note  1 

Brasbridge,  Joseph,  "Fruits  of  ^Ex- 
perience," Beckford's  comment 
on,  273 

Brazil,  Prince  of,  36 1 

Breemberg,  painter,  312 

Brescia,  152 

Breughel,  90,  324,  365 

British  Museum  Library,  110  note 

Britton,  John,  321,  351 

Bronzino's  St.  Lewis  Gonzaga,  364 

Brougham,  Lord,  Beckford's  criti- 
cism of,  ^75 

Brussels,  47,  48,  150 


380 


INDEX 


Buckingham,  Duke  of,  Beckford's 

description  of,  188 
Buffon,  31 

Bull-fight,  a,  described,  175-76 
Bulwer,  Edward,  Lord  Lytton,  334 
Burgher's  "  Leonora,"  302  note 
Burke,  John,  "  History  of  the  Com- 
moners," Beckford's  letters  re- 
garding, 278-79 
Burney,  Miss,  letter  from  Beckford, 

91-93;  style,  183 
Burton,  musician,  115,  121,  123, 

149,  151,  153 
Burton  Pynsent,  visits  of  Beckford 

to,  18,  22 
Bute,  Marquis  of,  268 
Byron,  on  "Vathek,"  quoted,  143; 
and  the  "Episodes,"  145-47; 
Beckford's  estimation  of,  1 46-47  ; 
"Childe  Harold,"  lines  quoted, 
181 ;  correspondence  with  Rogers, 
239;  "Don  Juan,"  240;  Beck- 
ford and,  335,  340;  otherwise 
mentioned,  S32,  334,  340 

Cadell,  Thomas,  183 
Cagliari,  363 
Cajeta,  cliffs  of,  97 
Calabria,  100,  149 
Callot,  painter,  295,  301  note,  304, 
305 

Camden,  Lord,  14;  visits  to  Font- 
hill,  22,  352 
Cameron,  Miss,  223 
Campo  Santo,  Pisa,  93 
Cancello,  Monte,  97 
Canova,  26 
Canterbury,  134 
Canterbury  Cathedral,  364 
Capali,  213 

Cape  of  Good  Hope,  205,  207 
Caprea,  Island  of,  95 
Captain  Lake,  the,  179 
Carena,  62 
Carlton  Club,  341 
Cartousky,  285 
Caserta,  97,102,  113 
Castle-Town,  365 
Catesby,  279 
Catisby,  259 
Cenis,  Mount,  l62,  l64 
Chambers,  Sir  William,  18 
Chamb^ry,  53 


Champagne,  PhiHp  de,  312,  363 
Chantrey,  Sir  Francis,  304,  308 
Chardin,  bookseller,  180,  248,  249 
Charles,  Prince,  palace  of,  41 
Charles  I.,  360 

Chateau  de  la  Tour,  Vevey,  172 

Chateaubriand,  142 

Chatham,  Earl  of,  his  letter  in  re- 
ference to  Alderman  Beckford's 
speech,  11-12;  godfather  to 
Beckford,  13-14 ;  education  of 
his  godson  14, 17,  19,  20;  letter 
from  the  Rev.  John  Lettice,  17- 
18  ;  his  description  of  Beckford 
at  thirteen,  21  ;  visits  to  Fonthill, 
22 ;  education  of  his  son,  22 ; 
death  of,  22-23  ;  Beckford's  esti- 
mation of,  23-24 ;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 10,  11,  351 

Chatham,  Lady,  23 

Chatsworth,  67 

Chavannes,  141 

Chenes,  25 

Choiseul,  Vicomte  de,  103 

Christie,  James,  the  younger,  311; 
sale  of  Fonthill,  314 

Cimitelli,  Prince,  298 

Cintra,  1,  181 

Cipriani,  artist,  157 

Clarke,  George,  bookseller,  corre- 
spondence with  Beckford,  142, 
189,  279-80,  290,  296-99,  309- 
10,  327,  332  ;  the  offer  regarding 
"  Vathek,"  328 ;  negotiations 
with  Bentley,  329-33;  correspond- 
ence with  Beckford  concerning 
Disraeli,  335-38  ;  othei-wise  men- 
tioned, 16,  262,  280,  289,  341 

Clayton,  S.  W.  R„  274 

Cleaver,  Dr.,  14 

Clovio,  Julio,  miniatures  by,  360 

Coblenz,  91 

Colburn,  Henry,  327 

Colleart,  artist,  301  note 

Collin,  servant,  195,  202 

Cologny,  127;  letters  from,  I68- 

70  ;  Beckford's  stay  at,  172 
Colossus,  wreck  of  the,  228,  259 
Conde,  Prince  de,  179 
Conybeare,  Dr.,  sale  of  his  books,  309 
Cooper,   Charles,  correspondence 

with  Beckford,  221 
Cope,  Bridge  of,  52 


INDEX 


Coppet^  26 

Court  Journal,  the^  335 

Courtenay,  A.,  letter  from  Beck- 
ford,  84 

Court  en  ay,  Lord,  67 

Covent  Garden,  244-45 

Cozens,  Alexander,  letters  from 
Beckford,  77-86,  93-94,  95-97, 
150-51,  160-61,163-64;  ^'Prin- 
ciples of  Beauty  relative  to  the 
Human  Head,"  117  and  note; 
otherwise  mentioned,  100 

Cozens,  John  Robert,  77  note,  80, 95, 
149-50,  151,  154,  160,  165 

Craven,  Lady,  letters  from  Beck- 
ford,  176-77,  245-46;  otherwise 
mentioned,  178,  352 

Crescentini,  singer,  154 

Crespin,  Oliver  de.  Steward  of  Nor- 
mandy, 20 

Crewe  Hall,  347 

Crewe,  Lord,  Beckford's  negotia- 
tions with,  346-49 
Cruikshank,  George,  309 
Cuyp,  painter,  324 

Danby,  Miss,  1 16 

Daniel,  Rev.  Mr.,  sale  of  his  books, 
311 

Dante,  43,  44,  49, 

Defoe,  Daniel,  333 

Delany,  Mrs.,  "Life  and  Corre- 
spondence of  Mxs.T>€iB.Tiy,"  quoted, 
213-14 

Desnoyer,  painter,  312 

Desseuil,  bookbinder,  289 

Devonshire  House,  149 

Diane  de  Poictiers,  289 

Dijon,  172 

Dino,  Duchesse  de,  339 

Disraeli,  Benjamin,  Earl  of  Beacons- 
field,  friendship  for  Beckford,  1 ; 
letter  to  his  sister,  335-41  ; 
"Contarini  Fleming,*'  \ 
"Alroy,"  Beckford's  comments 
on,  335-36,  337-38,  339  ;  Beck- 
ford's anxiety  to  make  his  ac- 
quaintance, 335-36;  his  appre- 
ciation of  Beckford,  336;  note 
to  Beckford,  338-39;  "The 
Infernal  Marriage,"  Beckford's 
comments,  339,  340;  letter  to 
Beckford    regarding    the  pre- 


381 

sent  of  marble,  340-41 ;  makes 
the  acquaintance  of  Beckford, 
341 ;  "  Venetia,"  341  ;  letter 
from  Beckford,  342 ;  otherwise 
mentioned,  189,  329 

Douglas,  Marquis  of.  See  Hamilton, 
10th  Duke  of 

Dover,  134 

Drury  Lane,  244 

Dubois,  204 ;  the  Dubois  sale,  312 

Ducarel,  A.  C,  301  note 

Duncan,  Lady  Mary,  103  and  note, 

115,  122 
Dundas,  Henry,  232  and  note 
Dunmore,  Lady,  122,  333 
Dupaty,  243 
Diirer,  Albert,  295,  311 
Durham,  Lord,  341 
Durlacher,  Solomon  Abram,  282 

East  Indies,  depreciation  of  Beck- 
ford's property  in,  321 
Edelinck,  G.,  312 

Edgcumbe,   Mount,    122;  letter 

from,  123 
Edmonds,  letter  from  Beckford, 

307-8 

Edward  IV.,  portrait,  366 
Edward  VI.,  6 

Effingham,  Lady,  8  note,  22,  87,  178 
Effingham,  Lord,  8  note,  13  and  note, 
22 

"%alite,"  352 

Eginton,  windows  by,  359 

Einsiedeln,  120 

Eldon,  Lord,  decision  against  Beck- 
ford, 321-22 

Ellis,  George,  Chief  Justice  of 
Jamaica,  8  note 

Ellis,  Miss,  76 

Elmsley,  157 

Elsheimer,  artist,  312 

Elstracke,  artist,  306 

Elzevirs,  Beckford's,  291 

Emigrants,  the  French  law  regard- 
ing, 196,  198 

England,  Beckford's  tour  through, 
66  et  seq. 

England  and  France,  peace  negotia- 
tions.   See  France 

Epinans,  M.  d',  25-26 

Errhart,  Dr.,  149  ;  brought  to  Font- 
hill  1796,  220,  248 


382 


INDEX 


Esher,  7 

Euganean  Hills,  155 
European  Magazine,  the,  327 
Eve,  Clovis,  289 
"  Evelina,"  245 

Evian,  village  of,  letter  from,  l67- 
68 

Examiner,  the,  334 

Faithorne,  artist,  295,  305 
Falmouth,  174 

Farquhar,  John,  buys  Fonthill,  314 

and  note~15 
Fay,  Mme.  de,  her  annuity,  223, 

241-42,  351 
Ferney,  26,  49 

Feterne,  letter  written  from,  55-58 
Fielding,  Henry,  248 
Fingal,  79 
Fitz-AUan,  259 
Flamen,  311 

Fletcher,  missal  sale,  307,  308 

Florence,  91  ;  letters  from,  93-94 

Fontainebleau,  36 1 

Fonthill : 

Stories  concerning,  1-5.;  visitors 
to,  22 ;  letter  written  from,  on 
Beckford's  return  from  his  first 
tour  (1778),  60-66;  return  to, 
after  the  tour  through  England, 
67;  gardens  of,  67;  letters  from 
(1779-80),  75-87 ;  (1781),  108-9 ; 
return  of  Beckford  after  second 
tour,  115etseq.;  Beckford's  com- 
ing of  age  celebrations,  ll6; 
architecture  of,  142 ;  originals  of 
types  in  "  Vathek,"  142  ;  letters 
from  (1783),  l65 ;  wall  erected  to 
enclose  the  estates  (1796),  180, 
215-16;  letters  from  (1832),  189; 
the  house  of  Alderman  Beckford, 
213-14;  Beckford's  intention  to 
reside  in,  214-15;  Beckford's 
determination  not  to  admit 
strangers,  216-21 ;  his  motive  in 
building  the  Abbey,  220-24, 250 ; 
flimsiness  of  structure  and  col- 
lapse of  the  Tower,  224-25  ;  con- 
struction of  the  new  Tower, 
225-27;  the  Nelson /e^e,  228-37, 
360;  the  Abbot,"  239;  hospi- 
talityat,  239-40, 246;  lettersfrom 
(1796),  241-64 ;  progress  of  work 


on  the  Abbey,  244,  249;  paint- 
ings for,  251-52;  the  Library, 
255;  the  Altieri  Claudes,  259; 
sale  of  the  furniture,  263 ;  indoor 
occupations  of  Beckford  at,  271 ; 
sale  of  the  Library,  296-97; 
bought  by  Farquhar,  314-15 ; 
sale  by  Phillips,  315;  a  skit  on 
the  sale,  3 1 5- 1 9 ;  cost  of  Fonthill 
and  reason  for  Beckford's  sale, 
321  ;  fire  at,  in  1755,  360 ;  the 
Collection,  360-6 1 ;  Beckford 
leaves  Fonthill,  322 
Fonthill  Abbey : 

Beckford's  life  at,  21 ;  King 
Edward  HI.'s  Gallery,  259  and 
note;  the  coats-of-arms,  259-61 ; 
sketches  by  Turner,  294;  de- 
scription by  James  Storer,  353-66 ; 
the  Oratory,  366 
Fonthill  Bishop,  village  of,  355 

Fonthill-Giffard,  13,  355 
Fownes  &  White,  Messrs.,  268, 345 
Foxhall,  attorney,  136,  265 
France,  the  negotiations  for  peace, 
248,  352  ;  correspondence  relat- 
ing to,  190-211 ;  a  "Note  of  the 
Terms,"  205  ;  letter  from  Beck- 
ford to  Lord  Nelson,  236-37 
Franchi,  Chevalier  Gregario,  220, 
262 

Francis  I.,  289 

Francis,  valet,  286 

Frangy,  village  of,  52 

Franks,  painter,  324 

Frasers  Magazine,  336 

French  Revolution,  the,  174 ;  fall 
of  the  Bastille,  178 ;  effect  on 
Beckford,  188-89;  the  coup 
d'etat  of  4th  September,  191 

Friend,  Rev.  Robert,  9 

Frith,  W.  P.,  "Autobiography," 
218 

Gainsborough,  Thomas,  352 

Galiani,  Abbe,  100 

Galle,  artist,  301  note 

Gait,  John,  "  Letters  from  the  Le- 
vant," Beckford's  comment  on, 
273 

Garnett,  Dr.,  died,  125 ;  introduc- 
tion to  "  Vathek,"  141 
Gascon,  Le,  bookbinder,  289 


INDEX 


383 


Genealogy,  Beckford's  interest  in, 

278-^82 

Geneva,  Beckford  in,  25-58 ;  letters 
from,35-4i;i62-64,l67,l70;  the 
plague  in,  1777,  40-41 ;  people 
of,  46 ;  life  at,  49 

Geneva,  Lake  of,  35,  36 

Genoa,  92 

Gentleman  s  Magazine,  the,  140,  236, 
360 

George  III.,  23-24,  26  ;  and  Alder- 
man Beckford,  10,  11,  87 

Gibbon,  Edward,  "History,"  Beck- 
ford's  comment  on,  272-73; 
library  of,  purchased  by  Beckford, 
180  and  note-81,  272 

Gibraltar,  205,  207 

«  Gil  Bias,"  320 

Girardon,  sculptor,  302  and  note,  306 
Glastonbury,  365 
Glemmis,  Mount,  56 
Gloucester,  67 

Goddard,  James,  210;  correspond- 
ence with  Nicholas  Williams, 
191-92 

Goddard,  Mrs.,  192 

Goodridge,  architect,  324 

Gordon,  Duchess  of,  visit  to  Font- 
hill,  219-20 

Gordon,  Lady  Margaret,  l66,  l67, 
170,  171,  173,  185 

Gordon,  Lord  George,  87 

Gordon  Riots,  87 

Gore,  Mrs.,  visit  to  Lansdown,  351 

Gough,  Richard,  125 

Grace,  Sheffield,  "  Memoirs  of  the 
Family  of  Grace,"  Beckford's  re- 
marks on,  280-81 

Grande  Chartreuse,  the,  Beckford's 
visit  to,  27-28,  51,  56 

Grant,  Abb6,  98 

Gray,  Rev.  Mr.,  243-44 

Gray,  Thomas,  333;  "The  Fatal 
Sisters,"  39 ;  quoted,  45 

Grenville,  Lord,  264 

Grenville,  Thomas,  301  note 

Grey,  Lord,  188,  189;  Beckford's 
opinion  regarding,  189 

Grimaldi,  311 

Grolier,  collector,  289 

Guildford,  134 

Guildhall,  Beckford's  monument  in 
the,  12 


Gunning,  Miss,  15 
Gunning,    Mr.    (afterwards  Sir) 
Robert,  14-15 

Haddon  Hall,  67 

Hague,  the,  90 

Haileybury,  247  note 

Halley,  Edmund,  39 

Halz,  painter,  l60 

Hamilton,  Charles,  22,  67,  ll6 

Hamilton,  Colonel,  25,  45,59;  letter 
from  Beckford,  241 

Hamilton,  Count,  126  and  note 

Hamilton,Susan  Euphemia,  Ducb  ess 
of,  a  sketch,  283 ;  her  father's 
death,  349  j  otherwise  mentioned, 
15,  17,  172,  239,  276  note,  340 

Hamilton,  10th  Duke  of,  children 
of,  283 ;  correspondence  with 
Beckford,  284-87  ;  relations  with 
Beckford,  287, 325  ;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 15,  17;  11th  Duke  of,  283, 
287-88 

Hamilton  family,  the  Abercorn 
branch,  20 

Hamilton,  Hon.  George,  9 

Hamilton,  Lady  (first  wife  of  Sir 
William)>  Beckford's  friendship 
for,  94-96,  97,  l62;  letters  from 
Beckford,  97-103, 105-6,  112-16, 
119-23,  148-49,  151-56 

Hamilton,  Lady  Anne,  283 

Hamilton  (Emma),  Lady,  character, 
230-32 ;  invited  to  Fonthill, 
232-34  ;  letters  from  Beckford, 
232-34,  263-64;  attack  by  Dr. 
Wolcot,  235 ;  as  Agrippina,  235- 
36  ;  otherwise  mentioned,  257,  258 

Hamilton,  Lord  Archibald,  letter 
from  Beckford,  156,  l66 

Hamilton,  Maria.  See  Beckford, 
Mrs. 

Hamilton,  Miss,  25,  4>5 

Hamilton,  Mr.,  letters  from  Beck- 
ford, 157,  165-66 

Hamilton  Palace,  Charter  Room, 
copy  of  "Dreams"  in,  110  note; 
the  collection,  345 

Hamilton,  R.,  359  ;  portraits  by, 
364 

Hamilton,  Sir  William,  friendship 
for  Beckford,  1  ;  letters  from 
Beckford,    l62 -  63,    257  -  59 ; 


584 


INDEX 


invited  to  Fonthill,  228,  232-37  ; 
his  application  for  a  Government 
pension,  229-31  ;  Dr.  Woleot's 
attacks  on,  234-35  ;  illness,  267  ; 
otkerrvise  mentioned,  94,  97,  98, 
100,  106,  114,  116,  120,  149, 
152-55,  l6l 

Hampstead,  village  of,  173 

Harcourt,  Colonel,  ll6 

Harcourt,  Hon.  Mrs.,  letter  from 
Beckford,  116-17 

Hardy,  Sir  Charles,  66 

Harrow^  School,  125 

Harwich,  132,  134 

Hastings,  279 

Hay,  Thomas,  9 

Hazlitt,  William,  "The  Picture 
Galleries  of  England,"  218; 
attack  on  Beckford's  taste, 
319-21 

Heard,  Lady,  225,  238,  256,  260, 
261 

Heard,  Sir  Isaac,  letter  from  Beck- 
ford,  225,  256-57,  259-61  ;  other- 
wise mentioned,  238,  280 
Hedge-lane,  235 
Henley,  Mrs.,  illness,  132,  133 
Henley,  Rev,  Samuel,  letters  from 
Beckford,  109-10,  153-54,  157, 
1 6 1-62,  246-47 ;  correspondence 
with      Beckford  concerning 
•^^Vathek,"  124,    126   et    seq.  ; 
account  of,  125 ;  translation  of 
'^Vathek,"    127-37,  328;  pub- 
lishes his  translation,  137;  his 
letter  to  Thomas  Wildman,  137- 
39;  the  preface,  139-40;  the 
critic  in  the  Gentleman's  Magazine, 
1 40 ;  otherwise  mentioned,  1 09^  1 65 
Henry  II.,  King  of  France,  289 
Henry  III.,  King  of  France,  289 
Henry  IV.,  King  of  France,  289 
Henry  VII.,  King  of  England,  por- 
trait, S66 
Heraldry,  Beckford's  love  of,  278 
Herbelot,  Bibliotheque  Orientale, 
130 

Hering,  Bathshua,  8,  ^59 
Hering,  Colonel  Julines,  8,  359 
Hering,  Nathaniel,  8 
Hervey,  Mr.,  22,  47 
Hervey,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  relations 
with  WilUam  Beckford,  21-22; 


letters  from  Beckford,  41-45,  47- 
51,  55-58,  177  ;  letters  to  Beck- 
ford, 182-84,  211-12  ;  novels  of, 
182-83  ;  her  West  Indian  estates, 
266  ;  otherwise  mentioned,  9 

Hinkley  Hill,  355 

Hinton,  town  of,  119;  Lloyd  Ken- 
yon,  M.P.  for,  185,  186-87;  Beck- 
ford returned  M.P.  for,  187 

Hipsley,  Mr.,  347,  348 

Hoare,  Sir  Richard,  356 

Holbein,  painter,  360,  363 

Holford,  Mr.,  negotiations  with 
Beckford,  345,  346,  347,  348-49 

Hollar,  artist,  305 

Holm  Lacy,  260 

Homer,  75 

Hook,  Theodore,  334;  Beckford's 

comments  on,  274 
Hookham,  publisher,  182  and  note 
Hope,  Thomas,  "  Anastasius,"  238, 

283 

Howard,  Sir  George,  22,  82,  87 

Howick,  Lord,  188 

Huber  (father  and  son),  26,  49-51, 
162,  163,  164,  167,  257,258 

Hugo,  Victor,  333 

Hume,  David,  "Dialogues,"  69 

Humphry,  Ozias,  letter  from  Beck- 
ford, 244-45 

Hunt,  Leigh,  334 

Huntingdon,  David,  Earl  of,  279 

Independence,  American  War  of, 
125 

Innsbruck,  91 

Ironmongers'  Company,  the,  10 

Jamaica,  the  hurricane  of  1781, 
101 ;  the  sugar  duty,  265  ;  Mrs. 
Hervey 's  estates,  266 ;  deprecia- 
tion of  Beckford's  estate  in,  323, 
345 ;  Beckford's  treatment  of  the 
slaves,  350 

Japans,  Beckford's  desire  for, 
248-49  ;  sale  of,  296 ;  the  Font- 
hill  collection,  36 1 

Jeffrey,  Lord,  Beckford's  comments 
on,  274-75 

Jenks,  Jacquetta  Agnetta  Marcana, 
pseudonym  of  Beckford,  182 

Jerdan,  William,  329 

John  of  Gaunt,  20  ;  portrait,  366 


INDEX 


385 


John  of  Gaunt's  Castle,  Lancaster, 
67 

John  of  Montfort,  Duke  of  Brittany, 

portrait,  366 
Johnson,  Samuel,  143,  248 
Johnson,  James  (afterwards  Bishop 

of  Worcester),  9 
Jones,  Inigo,  213 
Josephine,  Empress,  352 

Kalthoeben,  bookbinder,  289 
Kemble,  John,  picture  by  Law- 
rence, 294 
Kenyon,  Lloyd  (afterwards  Baron), 
M.P.  for  Hinton,  185,  186-87, 
229 

Kilburn,  village  of,  173 

Kingsboro'  sale,  310 

Knight,  Richard  Payne,  '^^  Account 

of  the  Worship  of  Priapus,"  302 

note 

Lamberg,  Mon.  de,  99 
Lancaster,  John  of  Gaunt's  Castle, 
67 

Lansdown,  Bath,  19,  288,  295,  306, 
351 ;  Beckford's  life  in,  325-26 

Lansdown  Crescent,  Bath,  2 

Lansdown  Hill,  Bath,  323 

Lansdown  Terrace,  Bath,  Beckford's 
houses  in,  322-23 

Lansdown  Tower,  collections,  324, 
348 ;  the  Oratory,  324-25 ;  Beck- 
ford's grave,  349 ;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 305,  308,  311,  344 

Latimer,  William,  first  Baron,  358 

Lausanne,  138,  140;  "Vathek" 
published  at,  140, 141 ;  Beckford 
purchases  Gibbon's  Library  at, 
180 

Lawrence,  Sir  Thomas,  portrait  of 
Kemble,  294;  Beckford's  criti- 
cism of,  294-95 

Leckie- Graves,  Captain,  301  note 

Lee,  Sir  Richard,  6 

Leghorn,  93,  l63 

Les  Echelles,  letters  from,  5^-55  ; 

Lettice,  Rev.  John : 

Tutor  to  Beckford,  14, 17,  20-21; 
59;  relations  with  Beckford,  15; 
letters  to  Beckford,  1 5-1 7, 67-70, 
letter  to  the  Earl  of  Chatham, 
17-18;  in  Geneva,  25,  27;  the 


visit  to  Plymouth,  66 ;  starts  the 
Grand  Tour  (June  1780),  88; 
letters  from  Beckford,  108-9, 
243-44 ;  third  Continental  tour, 
148-49,  151  ;  takes  charge  of 
Beckford's  daughters,  282  ;  other- 
wise mentioned,  23,  93,  115,  119, 
197,  210 

Leuss,  Charles,  289 

Lewis,  Emperor,  of  Bavaria,  107 

Lewis,  M.  G.,  "The  Bravo  of 
Venice,"  332 

Lichtensteins,  the,  176 

Lille,  194 

Lin,  Messrs.,  323 

Lincoln,  Earl  of,  283 

Lisbon,  174;  Beckford  offers  his 
services  as  a  diplomatist,  190; 
letter  from,  214-15 

Liverpool,  67 

Locke,  John,  "Essay  on  Human 
Understanding,"  17-18;  "Con- 
duct of  the  Mind,"  25 

Lockhart,  John  Gibson,  cited,  329 
note;  review  of  "Italy  with 
Sketches  of  Spain  and  Portugal," 
334-35 ;  otherwise  mentioned,  6I 

London,  87,  112 

Longleat,  Bath,  239 

Longman,  Thomas,  327 

Lorraine,  Claude,  Christ  appearing 
to  Mary  Magdalene  in  the  Garden, 
294 

Loughborough,  Lady,  223 

Louis    XIV.,    King    of  France, 

medallion,  36l 
Louis  XVI.,  King  of  France,  death, 

179;  imprisonment,  200 
Lourinus,  collector,  289 
Loutherburg,  painter,  252 
Love,  Richard,  8  note 
Love,  Susanna,  8  note 
Lucca,  letters  from,  91-93 
Lucretius,  255 
Ludlow  Castle,  365 
Lyttelton,  William  Henry,  Baron, 

14 

Madrid,  Beckford  in,  181 
Maestricht,  47 
Maioli,  289 

Mallarm^,  Stephana,  on  "  Vathek," 
quoted,  142-44 


386 


INDEX 


Mallet,  Professor,  "  Northern  Anti- 
quities/' 39 

Malmesbury,  Lord,  194,  197,  252; 
on  Beckford's  daughter,  283 

Manchester,  67 

Mannheim,  91 

Mansfield,  Countess  of,  241 

Mantegna,  Andrea,  Christ  on  the 
Mount,  365 

Mantua,  104 

Maquin,  Abbe,  220 

March,  Elizabeth.  See  Hervey, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth 

March,  Maria,  9 

Margate,  88,  89,  112,  132,  134; 

letter  from,  106 
Marguerite  de  Navarre,  289 
Marialva,  Marquis   of,  friendship 

with  Beckford,  174,  175,  190 
Marie  Amelie,  Princess,  of  Baden, 

287 

Mariette,  collector,  301  and  note 
Marlow,    The    Rt.    Hon.  Lady 

Harriet,  pseudonym  of  Beckford, 

182 

Martin,  John,  "  Illustrations  of  the 

Bible,"  309 
Mary,  Queen  of  France,  portrait, 

304  note 
Marylebone,  338 
Marzials,  Sir  Frank  T.,  145  note 
Matsys,  Quintin,  Two  Monks,  S63 
Maurice,  Rev.  Thomas,  letter  from 

Beckford,  261-62 
Mayence,  91 
Medici  collection,  l62 
Melville,  Lord,  267 
Merigot,  bookseller,  180 
Merlin,  91,  340 
Meron,  39 
Merton,  265 
Mervyns,  the,  213 
Mieris,  artist,  320 
Milan,  Duomo  of,  239 
Mirabeau,  352 
Miribello,  155 
Miseno,  121 

Misilmeri,  Rocks  of,  178 

Mitford,  John,  cited,  1  ;  criticisms 
of,  1 1 1 ;  story  told  by,  282  ;  "  Un- 
published Note  Books,"  296,  321 

Mongibello,  149 

Monnier,  Le,  bookbinder,  289 


Montagu,  bookbinder,  289 
Montagu,  Edward  Wortley,  136, 141 
Montmorency,  Constable,  portrait, 
366 

Montserrat,  Beckford's  residence 
at,  181-82 

Moore,  Thomas,  "Journals,"  184; 
"Diary,"  283;  "Light  of  the 
Harem,"  315  note;  "  Lalla 
Rookh,"  318  note;  and  Beck- 
ford's "  Letters,"  328-29 

Morning  Chronicle^  review  of 
"  Vathek,"  334 

Morning  Post,  299,  307 

Moro,  Antonio,  pictures,  364 

Morpeth,  Lord,  188 

Morrison,  Mrs.  Alfred,  315  note 

Morton,  Lady,  103 

Morton,  Lord,  37,  105 

Mouron,  Mons.,  247 

Moxon,  Edward,  309 

Mozart,  18-19,  334 

Munich,  91 

Murillo,  291 

Murray,  John,  327 

Murray,  the  Hon.  Colonel,  letter 
from  Beckford,  2l6 

Murray,  the  Regent,  portrait  at 
Fonthill,  364 

Murray,  William  (afterwards  Lord 
Mansfield),  9 

Music,  Beckford's  compositions,  99, 
115 

Nadder  River,  the,  245 
Nagasaki,  Plains  of,  43 
Nagel,  G.  H.,  letters  to  Nicholas 

Williams,  204-5,  209-10;  rela- 

tions  with  Nicholas  Williams, 

208-9 
Naiwincx,  set  of,  311 
Nantua,  Lake  of,  170-71 
Napier,  Macvey,  note  to  Disraeli, 

339 

Naples,  94,  119,  148;  letters  from, 

95-97,  159-60 
Naples,  Bay  of,  95 
Naples,  the  court,  94,  97,  231-32 
Napoleon,  202-3 
Napoleon  III.,  287 
National  Gallery  : 

Bellini,  The  Doge  of  Venice, 
348 


INDEX 


887 


Raphael,  St.  Catherine,  293 
West,  Benjamin,  The  Sick 
brought  before  Christ j  294 

Naville,  M.,  25 

Neckar,  Jaques,  352 

Nelson,  Lord,/e/e  at  Fonthill,  228, 
233-37;  and  Lady  Hamilton, 
231-32;  letter  from  Beckford, 
236-37;  bust  of,  in  Fonthill, 
360 ;  otherwise  mentioned j  1,  267 

Netherlands,  the,  90 

New  Monthly,  the,  339 

Newcastle,  Duke  of,  283 

Nicholas,  bookbinder,  289 

Niebuhr,  130 

Nile,  the,  63 

Nivernois,  Due  de,  302  note 
Nodier,  library  of,  312;  sale,  343 
North,  Lord,  23-24 

O'CoNNELL,  Daniel,  341 ;  Beck- 
ford's  description,  187-88 

Orange,  Prince  of,  collection  at  the 
Hague,  90 

Orde,  Lieutenant-General  James. 
284 

Orde,  Mrs.  James,  172,  283-84  I 
Ostade,  painter,  319,  348 
Ostend,  89,  149,  150 
Ovid,  168 

Owen,  Admiral  William  Fitz- 
William,  "Travels,"  243 

Pacchierotti,  Gaspara,  letter  from 
Beckford,  103-4;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 91-93,  112,  115,  118,  119, 
121-23,  154 

Padeloup,  bookbinder,  289 

Padua,91, 152;  letters  from,153-56 

Paget,  Lord,  letter  from  Beckford, 
156-57 

Pain's  Hill,  67 

Palazzo  Frith,  Florence,  93 

Palmer,  M.,  141 

Palmerston,  Lord,  188 

Pape,  artist,  306 

Paris,  letters  from,  101-106,  l64 ; 
Beckford's  visit  in  (1789),  178, 
179 ;  Beckford  a  suspect,  179-80; 
reception  of  "Vathek,"  840 

Parthenon,  the,  340 

Patmore,  Peter  George,  335 

Payne,  Roger,  289,  340 


Peace  Negotiations.    See  France 
Peasmarch,  near  Hastings,  1 5 
Pedley,  John,  correspondence  with 

Beckford,  264-71 
Pedro,  Don,  175 

Peerage,  Beckford's  desire  to  enter 
the,  229-31 ;  Beckford's  "  Liber 
Veritatis,"  281 

Pepys,  Samuel,  quoted,  7 

Percy,  Bishop,  125 

Perregaux,  Mons.,  195,  197,  205, 
249 

Perugia,  300 

Perugino,  300,  346,  347,  348 
Peter,  St.,  festival  of,  in  Rome,  157 
Petrarch,  44 

Philip  and  Mary,  drawing  of,  306 

Phillips,  auctioneer,  292 ;  sale  of 
the  Fonthill  collections,  315; 
introduction  of  other  articles 
than  Beckford's,  320-21 

Phillips,  Sir  Thomas,  302  note 

Phipps,  Hon.  Edmund,  letter  from 
Beckford,  46-47,  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 69 

Pictures,  Beckford  as  a  collector, 
311-13 

Piero,  the  dwarf,  2,  326 

Pierson,  artist,  360 

Pigmei,  Father  Anthony,  l63 

Pigott,  Robert,  letter  from  Beck- 
ford, 171-72 

Pisa,  93 

Pitt,  Louisa.  See  Beckford,  Mrs. 
Peter 

Pitt,  WiUiam : 

Antipathy  to  Beckford,  19  ;  edu- 
cation, 22  ;  letter  from  Beckford 
to,  on  death  of  his  father,  22-23 ; 
Beckford's  estimation  of,  23-24 ; 
and  the  negotiations  with  France, 
195,208-9,210;  letter  to  Nicholas 
Williams,  211;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 264,  267,  351 

Pizzetta,  300 

Place  de  Louis  Quinze,  179 
Plato,  75 

Plummer  and  Wilson,  Messrs.,  345 
Plymouth,  visit  of  Beckford  and 

Lettice,  66 
Pocahontas,  Princess,  280 
Poelenburg,  painter,  320 
Pompadour,  Mme.  de,  289 


388 


INDEX 


Pompeii,  155 

Portici,  100,  115,  149,  151,  152, 
154.;  letters  from,  l6l-62 

Portland,  Duke  of,  15,  196;  ap- 
proached by  Beekford  regarding 
the  peace  negotiations,  letter 
from  Beekford,  205-9 

Portugal,  Beckford's  visits  to,  174- 
77,  181  ;  the  court,  175  ;  a  bull- 
fight, 175-76  ;  Beekford  and  the 
Prince  Regent,  181,  190,  241  ; 
the  peace  with,  196;  the  Arch- 
bishop of,  322 

Posilippo,  114,  115,  148,  152,  153; 
letters  from,  I6O-6I 

Poussin,  Bandit,  312 

Powderham  Castle,  67 

Prangin,  Baron,  25 

Preford,  Girardot  de,  289 

Prints,  Beckford's  collection  of 
engravings,  295-96 

Prior  Park,  Bath,  Beckford's  bid  for, 
322 

QuARiTCH,  Bernard,  272 
Quarterly  Review,  the,  334 
Queensberry,  Duchess  of,  rebukes 

Beekford,  21,  death,  37;  otherwise 

mentioned,  247 

Rangoon,  267 

Raphael : 

The  Roman  Galleries,  157;  Beck- 
ford's admiration  for,  292-94, 
295;  St.  Catherine,  293;  pupils 
of,  293-94 

Rauzzini,  singer,  121 

Reading,  J.  J.,  letter  to  Beekford, 
231 

Redding,  Cyrus,  "  Memoirs  "  cited, 
6,  300,  305 ;  conversations  with 
Beekford,  18-19,  71,  94,  124-25, 
142,  145,  174-75,  181-82,  190, 
218,  219,  280,  283,  287,  299,  320, 
321,  322,  351  ;  correspondence 
with  Beekford,  281  ;  on  Beck- 
ford's life,  quoted,  344 

Reform  Bill,  the,  188 

Religion,  Beckford's,  276-78 

Rendlesham,  Suffolk,  127 

Repton,  Humphrey,  letter  from 
Beekford,  256 

Retz,  collector,  289 


Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua,  345,  352 

Ricault,  author,  131 

Richardson,  John,  "  Dissertations," 

130,  135 
Rimini,  152 

Rivers,  second  Earl  of  (of  the 
second  creation),  8  note,  120 

Rivers,  William  Horace,  third  Earl 
of  (of  the  second  creation),  8  note, 
170 

Robins,  George,  300,  305,  306 

Robson,  bookseller,  134 

Rogers,  Samuel : 

Friendship  for  Beekford,  1,2; 
on  the  Episodes,  quoted,  145; 
correspondence  with  Byron,  145- 
47,  239 ;  visit  to  Fonthill,  239- 
40;  letter  to  Beekford,  240  ;  de- 
scription of  Beckford's  daughters, 
283;  and  Beckford's  "  Letters," 
328-29;  otherwise  mentioned,  352 

Roman  Catholicism,  Beckford's 
remarks  on,  276-77 

Romano,  Julio,  pupil  of  Raphael, 
293 

Rome,   94,   152,  154,  155,  156  ; 

letters  from,   97-98,    156-59  ; 

feast  of  St.  Peter,  157 
Rome,  De,  289 

Romney,  George,  345,  352  ;  por- 
traits by,  294 
Rossi,  sculptor,  366 
Rumilly,  52 

Russell,  Lord  John,  188 
Russia,  the  peace,  285,  286 
Ruysdael,  painter,  311 
Rye,  16 

St.  Angelo,  Castle,  157 

St.  George's  Chapel,  Windsor,  224, 

257,  366 
St.  James's,  Court  of,  87 
St.  PauPs,  177,  210 
St.  Peter's,  122,  151,  157 
St.  Petersburg,  Court  of,  284,  285 
St.  Pierre,  243 
St.  Sulpice,  Paris,  179,  277 
St.  Vincent's,  Lisbon,  prior  of,  175, 

181 

SaUve,  the  Mountain  of,  letters 

written  from,  29-34,  51 
Salisbury,  151,  191,  197,  243,  248, 

355 


INDEX 


389 


Salisbury  Plain,  365 

Salisbury  Spire,  365 

Saltash,  268-70 

Salthill,  271 

Sanrage,  dealer,  247 

Sardiere,  Guy  on  de,  289 

Sarti,  composer,  1 54 

Saussure,  M.  Benedict  de,"  Voyages 
dans  les  Alpes,"  26 

Savannah  le  Mar,  Jamaica,  7,  101 

Scholl,  Dr.,  181,  197,  249,  SIO 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  Beckford's  com- 
ments, 274 

Seaford,  15 

Secheron,  letters  from,  l66 

Shaftesbury,  365 

Shakespeare,  William,  50 

Sherwood  Lodge,  274 

Sidney  Sussex  College,  Cambridge, 

•14 
Sienna,  94 

Simier,  bookbinder,  289 

Smith,   dealer,  311;  letter  from 

Beckford,  312 
Smith,  Adam,  cited,  253 
Smith,    Charlotte,    "  Emmeline," 

183-84 
Smith,  Sidney,  275 
Smith,  Sir  S.,  200-201 
Soane,  John,  238 
Solander,  Dr.,  46 

Sotheby,  Leigh,  auctioneer,  309; 
311 

Soubin,  collector,  289 
Soubise  sale,  the,  178 
Southey,  Robert,  Byron's  dedication 

to,  240;   library  of,  sale,  311; 

otherwise  mentioned^  143,  312 
Spa,  90,  91 

Spain,  Beckford's  visit  to,  91 ,  176-' 
77 

Spencer,  W.  R.,  302  note 
Stael,  Mme.  de,  20,  352 
Stafford,  Lady,  178 
Staggemeier,  bookbinder,  289 
Staines,  l6l 
Sterkel,  Abbe,  120 
Still,  John,  197,  223 
Stonehenge,  96  and  note 
Stop's  Beacon,  214 
Storer,  James,  227  note;  descrip- 
tion of  Fonthill  Abbey,  353-QQ 
Stourhead,  356,  365 


Strassburg,  letter  from,  100-101 
Strauss,  "Das  Leben  Jesu,"  276  note 
Strawberry  Hill  sale,  the,  296-307, 
320 

Suffolk,  Duke  of,  portrait,  304  note 
Sugar,  the  duty  on,  264-65 
Sussex,  Duke  of,  333 
Swiss  Adventurers,  the,  253-55 
Switzerland,  the  people  of,  254-55 
Sylvanus,  l64 

Talbot,  259,  279 

Talleyrand,  333  note 

Tartary,  Plains  of,  82 

Temple  prison,  the,  199-201,  208 

Tenducci,  121 

Tenhove,   N.,  "Memoirs,"  Beck- 
ford's comment  on,  274 
Teniers,  311,312,  319 
Thames,  the,  2145 
Thevellraye,  208 
Thomlinson,  26 1 

Thomson,   Francis,  estimation  of 

Beckford,  335 
Thoresby,  Ralph,  301  note 
Thorpe,  dealer,  304,  305 
Thou,  De,  289 
Thouvenin,  bookbinder,  289 
Thuanus,  collector,  289 
Thun,  29  ;  letters  from,  31-34 
Thurlow,  Lord,  visit  to  Fonthill, 

22;  letter  from  Beckford,  117; 

letters  to  Beckford,  117-18, 185- 

87,  229  ;  otherwise  mentioned,  122, 

208,  352 
Tieck,  J.  Ludwig,  309 
Tirabs,  John,  "  English  Eccentrics," 

314  note 

Times,  the,  210,  333 ;  on  the  Font- 
hill sale,  315 

Tirol,  the,  99,  100,150 

Titian,  213,  300,  324 

Tottenham  Court  Road  cow-yards, 
175 

Tunbridge,  283  ;  letter  from,  l66 
Turin,  l62 

Turner,  Dawson,  125 

Turner,    J.    W.    M.,  Beckford's 

criticism,  294 
Turney,  113 
Tyson,  Michael,  125 

United  States,  the  question  of 
colonisation,  252-55 


390 


INDEX 


Utrecht,  90 

Vaga,  Perino  del,  302,  306 
Vallombrosa,  239 
Van  Balen,  365 

Van  Dyck,  312  ;  Beckford's  collec- 
tion of  500  engraved  works,  296 
Van  Eyck,  Burial  of  a  Cardinal,  S60 
Vanderwerf,  320 

Venice,  91,  102,  104,  114,  154,  155 
Vermont,  253 
Vernet,  painter,  294 
Vernon,  the  Misses,  118 
Verona,  91 ;  letters  from,  152 
Veronese,  Paul,  Catherine  Cornaro, 
363 

Vertue,  George,  306,  307 
Vestris,  Mdlle.,  112 
Vesuvius,  l6l 
Vevey,  172 
Victis,  rock  of,  113 
Virgil,  84 
Visme,  M.  de,  182 
Volney,  243 

Voltaire,  Beckford's  visit  to,  26-27, 

32,  49,  142,  352 
Vulliamy,  360 

Wadsworth,  James,  letter  from 
Beckford,  252-55 

Wakefield,  Rev.  Gilbert,  letter  from 
Beckford,  255 

Waldegrave,  Lord,  299 

Walpole,  Horace,  Beckford's  anti- 
pathy towards,  299  ;  "  An  Essay 
on  Modern  Gardening,*'  302 
note;  collection,  320 ;  The  Castle 
of  Otranto,  332 ;  otherwise  men- 
tioned, 333 

Walstein,  Countess  de,  176 

Walter,  Mrs.  Nevill,  letters  from 
Beckford,  249-51 

Warburton,  Dr.,  46 

Wardour  Castle,  359,  365 

Welcker,  289 

Wellesley,  Sir  Arthur,  the  conven- 
tion, 190 

Wells,  Beckford  returned  M.P.  for, 
187 

Wendelin  Bible,  the,  309 
Wenzel,  Baron,  oculist,  89 
West,  Benjamin,  visit  to  Fonthill, 
238  ;  letter  to  Nicholas  Williams, 


238 ;  King  Lear,  294  ;  two 
pictures,  364 ;  the  Pieta,  365 ; 
otherwise  mentioned,  234,  266,  352 

West  Indies,  252 ;  the  hurricane 
of  1781,  101  ;  the  sugar  trade, 
257  ;  taxation  in  the,  264-65 

West,  Mrs.,  238 

Westminster  School,  9 

Weston,  3 

Weston,  Stephen,  criticism  of 
Vathek,"  140 

White,  Richard  Samuel,  of  Lincoln's 
Inn,  111,  191,  264,  266-6*9,  345; 
correspondence  with  Nicholas 
Williams,  192-93 

Whitehall,  Jamaica,  7 

Whitham,  108 

Wildman,  Mrs.,  179 

Wildman,  Thomas,  letter  from  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Henley,  137-39; 
letters  from  Beckford,  179,  277; 
otherwise  mentioned,  68,  110,  134, 
186,  192,  195,  214,  215 

Wilkes,  John,  politics,  10 

William  and  Mary  College,  Wil- 
liamsburg, 125 

Williams,  Mrs.,  197,  200,  248 

Williams,  Nicholas,  correspondence 
with  Beckford,  190-91,  193-211, 
247,  248-49,  262-63 ;  letter  to 
James  Goddard,  191-92;  letter 
to  R.  S.  White,  192-93 ;  arrest 
and  imprisonment,  199-201, 
206-8;  letter  to  Sir  William 
Hamilton,  230  ;  at  Fonthill,  238, 
246,  252 

Willis  and  Waterhouse,  Messrs.,  267 

Wilson,  bookbinder,  290 

Wilson,  William  Rae,  "  Travels  in 

Egypt  and    the  Holy  Land," 

Beckford's  comments  on,  276 
Windsor,  93 ;  St.  George's  Chapel, 

224,  257 
Winterbottom,  Thomas,  10 
Wolcot,  Dr.  (Peter  Pindar),  352  ; 

"Peter's  Prophesy,"  234;  "A 

Lyric   Epistle   to   Sir  William 

Hamilton,"  234-35 
Wolff,  J.,  "  Sketches,"  Beckford's 

comment  on,  273-74 
Wolsey,  Cardinal,  362 
Woodbridge,  134 
Worcester,  67 


INDEX 


391 


Worms,  91 

Wouvermann,  painter,  319,  345 
Wright,  346 

Wyatt,  James,  letter  from  Beck- 
ford,  214-15;  the  order  for  Font- 
hill  Abbey,  220-21,  224,  225 ;  at 
Fonthill,  237-38,  245,  266 ;  de- 
sign of  the  Abbey,  358  ;  otherwise 


mentioned,    210,  234,  247,  263, 
265,  321. 
Wyatt,  Matthew,  portrait  of  Ed- 
ward III.,  366 

YoRKE,  Sir  Joseph,  90  and  note 
Young,  Sir  George,  245 

ZuccHERo,  portrait  by,  360 


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